Across the Stars
by americanhoney139
Summary: One has traveled across the stars in a frozen sleep. The other is about to step up and lead her people onto a new planet. What will happen when these two collide? And what will happen once they land on this new planet? Can they stay together and fight for survival or will the harshness of a new would get to them? Jori! Elitoria!
1. By Herself

Ch1: By Herself

Her high black boots make a small clicking noise against the metal of the floor as she walks. The sound is a small comfort within the walled confines of the ship. Twisting a finger through her gnarled waves, a sigh escapes her lips. Suddenly, a shadow appears on the steel beside her own and a hand slips through hers.

"You seem out of it today," his voice sounds like one of the soothing, cheerful voices that speak over the ship-wide intercom. She turns to glare at him before turning back to stare at her shoes. "You okay?" She can hear the concern echoing through the corridor and she looks up to see it in his crystal blue eyes.

"I'm fine," she reassures him and, upon seeing his doubtful look, she explains. "Sikowitz kept me up all night going over emergency procedures." He scoffs.

"He would," the boy says and she rolls her eyes, nudging his solid shoulder with her own. "You know I'm right… the old man crazy paranoid." At his statement they are both laughing and she's leaning against him with tears of laughter in her eyes.

"Anyway, what's on the agenda for today?" he asks, his voice light and playful.

"Just training and down time, as usual," she replies with a bored tone. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" Her gaze turns from playful to suspicion in seconds as she glares at him. He shrugs and, with a wave of his hand, is retreating back down the corridor. She laughs as she watches his long black hair bounce and she remembers, on more than one occasion, she asked him how he got his hair so fluffy if everyone had the same washing material. He would only reply with a wink but his lips were sealed.

Taking a deep breath, she continues down her original path. Her earpiece crackles softly and she knows that her mentor is trying to contact her over the wi-com link. He is the current leader of _Sundancer_, the solar wind surfing spaceship bound for Andromeda's only habitable planet Andros in the quadrant Zeta 5SB1. It's strange for her to think that she'll be the one who will help the people on the ship settle on Andros and it will be by her steady hands in the first few years of colonization— they'll be landing in two months and by that time Sikowitz will have stepped down from his post.

At the bottom level of the ship, near the waste ports and only windows, is a room. Swiping the pad of her thumb against the lock, she has to bite her lip when the familiar prick takes a sample of her blood. Authorized access only rooms will only admit Sikowitz and herself and all others trying to get in will set off an alarm. With yet another sigh, the door slides open and she slips inside, a small smile gracing her features.

Inside are rows upon rows of what look like lockers units and, from what her mentor has told her, there are frozen people inside them from a place called Terra, or Earth. She and her best friend, an upper-class Technician from Middle Deck, have looked up Terra at the Center, where all information and creations from previous gens are stored along with all Terra knowledge. Sometimes they'd watch movies from the 2000s and below. Books are a particular subject her mentor hates but she loves them.

The chambers line the walls and the thought of being stuck inside makes a shiver crawl up from the base of her spine. Each and every one of those people is important to the colonization of Andros. Each one has a purpose.

Shaking her head, she pulls out her Inteli-Tab out of her pocket. The light blue microfibers shimmer as it flops and they hum under her fingertips as she unlocks it with the swipe of her finger. With a click, the Tablet unlocks and she's instantly plugged into the Network. She scans through the choices and taps against her choice and it pops up automatically, allowing her to type in her Access Code when met with a block.

She knows Sikowitz will be able to Track her but he won't ask, because this place— this quiet place full of frozen bodies and the sleeping dead— is a haven where she goes to get away from all of the pressure. A place where she can just be herself, normal, not Leader-In-Training.

**So I have no idea _what_ to call this story and I really need help choosing a title. So for now I'm using this title. Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think.  
**

**P.S. This story is loosely based on Across the Universe by Beth Revis. You can see the basic idea of her spaceship _Godspeed_ from the link on my page. This will also be the basic idea for _Sundancer_ as well. All of the credit for it goes to her and the people who drew it.  
**


	2. As If In A Dream

Ch2: As If In A Dream

_Cold. All she knows is cold and frozen and dreams. Her body is not attached anymore and she wonders where it went. Her whole body feels like weights and she can't move. It's as if she has been put into a coma and can't wake up. But she knows where she is and why she can't move._

_She can remember the ice cold of the gel as it filled the space around her naked bod, the frozen feeling running through her brain and muscles to preserve them until the landed. She remembers a soft had slipping between her own as she sank lower and lower into herself. One man had placed two drops of something cold over each eye to make sure she didn't go blind when she was pulled from her state. But the one thing she remembers the most is both of her mothers hugging her goodbye, tears in her eyes as first one, then the other, slipped under the gel._

_Sometimes she dreams and she curses her parents for it. They had implanted a memory chip at the base of her spine when she was only six weeks only. It had been a popular thing to do since her brother was born in 2020. The small device, set at the nape of her neck, was unnoticeable under the skin of her neck. Most of the time she hardly noticed that it was there, except for the sharp sting when she bent far back enough._

_Without a thought, she traveled back in time, bringing up memories of her family when they didn't have to worry about Vicky, her mom, in the lab with radioactive chemicals. Or Lizzy, her other mom in the FBI with their big guns and secret missions. Or even her brother, who was on the front lines in the Marines._

_Remembering a cheerful morning was the only thing from making her feel alone…_

_(Flashback)_

She felt lips press against her stomach as two hands came up, fingers digging into her ribcage. Letting out a high pitched squeal, she tried to push the hands off. Laughter rang through her ears—both hers and her attackers—and a raspberry made her giggle with glee. She could feel hair brushing her skin.

"Okay, okay…" another voice entered her brain, "break it up. Do you want to kill your little sister?" The hair blocking her vision moved away and she saw her Mommy beaming at her, Momma standing right behind her with a hand covering her smile. The form on top of her moved and she launched her small eight-year-old self at him, wrapping her arms around the eleven-year-old's neck.

"Oh, Liz, let them have fun," Momma said, her brown eyes glittering in the ambient light of the bedroom. "It's their last day of summer vacation."

Her Mommy, a raven haired woman named Liz, short for Elizabeth, glared at her wife. "It'll be back next year." She shrugged. Victoria, her Momma, only shook her head, brown hair swaying, before running over to tickle her son. "Come on, Lizzy, lighten up!" Victoria called out as her son grabbed her hand. With a shrug, Liz joined in, catching her daughter trying to sneak away.

_(End Flashback)_

_She missed each and every one of them. Although her body was frozen and a bunch of tubes were shoved down her throat to keep her body oxygenated. She could smell Liz's perfume as she pressed a kiss to her forehead, could still feel the wet cheeks pressed against hers as Vicky wrapped her arms around her, and the necklace on her neck burns where he dog tag touches her skin as she remembers her brother giving it to her._

_There is no sound in the meat locker that holds her prisoner. Plugs are pressed just right so that the gel wouldn't flow into her ears and freeze her brain. But she misses the music; she misses the sound of the ocean she will never see again, and the sound of leaves crunching beneath her feet as she jumped into them with her brother landing beside her._

_She wonders if any time has passed at all. Are they almost there? Had they even left yet? Was she left behind by accident, never to be unfrozen again? She wonders about her parents and her brother and how they are suffering through the silence. _

_She wonders if three hundred years would change anything._


	3. Intruder Alert

Ch3: Intruder Alert

They're sitting in her, her head resting on his shoulder. There is a low hum of the Old Earth music washing through the speakers, words muffled over the low whisper of their voices. "Two months, huh?" his voice is whispered into her hair. "We'll be off of this ship and onto solid ground."

"I wonder what it'll be like, you know, dry land," she responds, eyes wide. "Stars, I feel like that prehistoric fish-girl." She buries her face in his shoulder.

His laughter echoes through the room and she snuggles up to him. "You mean _The Little Mermaid_?" he asks. She turns to glare at him, her electric blue eyes pinning his own. "You sound like her, too." A growl erupts from her throat as she tackles him to the ground.

Suddenly, she pulls away from his grip with a yelp, a hand placed over her ear piece. He watches as she bites back the pain as a high pitched beep rattles her brain. "Apprentice…" Sikowitz's voice echoes through her mind. Immediately, she's on high alert, hearing the panic. "I need you to go down to the Lab, right now. An unknown, unauthorized figure was… and might still be down there… protect the Cargo!" The ear piece crackles and the teenagers stare at each other. Without another word, they surge out of the hall and toward the private elevator that would take them to the Lab. The elevator descends with a slow hum, the silence taunt between them like a rubber strap.

Just as the elevator stops, there is a crash and the clomping of boots against the floor. The room is dim when they entered and there is only a quick shadow before it disappeared around the bend. Without so much as a word, the two separate. He races after the unknown person while she saunters over to asses the damage.

The slot of number thirteen is pulled out. Wires are hanging out of the locker like spider's silk and an icy blue liquid, mixed with red she knows is blood, was dripping from one of the clear tubes. The small puddles lead to the metallic raised table, where one of the metal and glass coffins is sitting. A figure is floating in the water, eyes flicking behind her eyelids as her body seems to convulse with panic.

"He's gone," her best friend enters the room. "Dead. He tried to escape but the waste portal sucked him in." With a sigh, she turned back to the twitching corps. He hasn't made his way over, intending to let her deal on her own—she'll have to do it in two months anyway.

Suddenly, the girl in the tub is moving, eyes flying open. Her eyes are a strange shade of dirt that neither teen has ever seen before, but they are full of panic. She struggles within the too small box, elbows and knees banging against the side of the glass. The girl's flat stomach is pressed against the steel. Her hands reach through the goop and swim up to her face, where she began pulling at the tubes that seems to be shoved down her throat.

The apprentice grabs at the lid of the prison, grimacing as some of the liquid seeps out and covers her hand, ice cold to the touch. When the boy, who had been leaning against the wall, sees her struggling to lift the top and hurries over to grab the other side. Together they lift up the lid and it shatters as it crashes to the ground.

Inside, the girl has finally managed to get the tube out. Blood and sickly yellow liquid spills from her lips.

"What's she doing?" he asks, his voice rising in panic.

Blinking, the other teen tries to placate the scared and thrashing girl, who continues to lash out in her panic. Running pale fingers through her dark hair, she responds with a whisper, "She's screaming…"

**So, we finally get to see Girl#2 from the outside. Anyway, you guys have probably guessed who they are but for now I'm calling them Girl#1 (Leader-In-Training) and Girl#2 (frozen girl). Please tell me what you thought of this chapter and I really need feedback. Review!**


	4. A Painful Reawakening

Ch4

_The first way she knows something is wrong is because she can _feel_. The second thing that alerts her is the searing sensation that flies through her body. It's like nothing she's ever imagined; the pain of it is so intense that it hurts just to breathe. Her eyes fly open, and stay open, which isn't supposed to happen unless they're on Andros._

_She scrabbles for the tubes, blinking back frozen tears as she yanks it from her throat. Bile and blood spill past her lips as she frees herself. Two shadowy figures are leaning over her and she's begging, pleading with her eyes, reaching out with long nails to get their attention. Her ears register shattering, but she's not sure if it's her or the glass. Her mouth opens to scream but gel rushes in instead, filling her with icy goop and crystalized poison._

_Words above her are muffled and she can't hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears and the poison in her lungs. Suddenly, soft hands wrap around her wrists and, with a noise like a suction cup, her shoulders are pulled free. Weak from fighting, she falls back, her eyes closing as she tries to stay conscious._

Everything shatters around her and she blinks sleepily to see a long haired figure gripping a long pole, poised to strike. Fear takes hold of her as she struggles away, finding herself room for movement. Shards of her shattered coffin stab into her skin, burying themselves within her soft 317-year-old skin. The figure throws away the pole, the sound ringing in her ears, and reaches for her, lips moving rapidly. The person reaches up and rips the plugs from her ears just as another figure enters her vision; the dog tags hanging on her sternum seems to burn a hole in her chest.

"Av—" her voice is a broken whisper as she blinks up at him, reaching out for the comfort of his arms. Confusion swims in his strange colored eyes and there are tears streaming down hers. She wants him to hold her like he used to and kiss her forehead before tucking her into bed. But it's as he has forgotten who she is, as if 300 years has made him a completely new person. Not the older brother that she had begged to stay home when he went away to war; her mother had held her back so she wouldn't rush onto the plane with him.

"Well, at least we know she can talk…" a raspy voice comes from behind her, as well as warmth wrapping around her body. She turns around, ignoring the stab of pain, to see a pale, dark haired girl with electric blue eyes looking her over with narrowed, distrusting eyes. Rough cloth is draped over her shoulder and the girl slides around to stand next to the boy. They won't look away from her.

"Com-link Message: Sikowitz," the girl speaks again. "Request presence in the Cryo Lab. Nonessential reanimated. Criminal deceased." The now unfrozen girl notices that there is a blue tooth like object on her ear, one hand pressed against it as the other is fisted at her side. Her body falls back against the table and a scream is torn from her throat as the last of the poison is dispelled from her system. Bile bubbles up in her throat as she rolls to the side, her muscles screaming in pain with every movement, and it spills from her mouth. Crystal shards make tiny cuts in her mouth and beams of the crimson mix with the yellow, blue, and green.

The raven haired teens watch her, disgust evident on their faces, but they don't move to help her. Her body convulses and pain rockets up her spine, making her scream yet again. Tears are dripping down her cheeks but she doesn't move. Her body is exhausted.

"What happened?" a harsh voice yells and she wills her eyes to open. The rough cloth is back on her body and she realizes with a blush that she is naked. "What did you do?" A man is standing over her, blue eyes scanning her face.

"Someone reanimated her, Sir," the boy speaks and his voice is exactly like her brother's. "He's dead now, thank the stars, but we couldn't let it die." She realizes that the 'it' they are talking about is _her_ and her body shakes with the cold rage.

Finding an ounce of strength inside, she asks with a raspy voice, "Where are my parents?" She watches as the three strange people freeze and turn to her. "Where's my brother?" They turn back to their conversation as if she hadn't even spoken. She grits her teeth and sits up with a quiet whimper, reaching up to keep the cloth covering her body. "Where are they?!" A hand forces her to remain sitting as she tries to stand up on legs she know won't support her.

"13, we can't—" the old man starts, using her number instead of her name, and she shoot up, her legs wobbling from disuse.

"Tell me, damn it!" Her body is shaking harder, her eyes wild and frightened as they blur over with fresh tears. "Tell me where they are!" Tears are streaming down her face, a mixture of anger and sadness.

The old man is reaching for something inside the drawer as the reanimated girl continues to scream and cry and curse. Both of the teens watch as he takes out a thin lavender square with small, almost microscopic hooks. The boy reaches forward but the girl holds him back. "If you don't calm down," the old man, who she guesses is Sikowitz, warn, "I am going to have to sedate you."

She blinks and realizes what he's saying. He wants to put her back to sleep! Her head snaps up and she bites her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. "Don't wanna go back to sleep…" she pouts plaintively. She doesn't know how long she's been out but she never wants to go back to the cold. So again she cries out, "Momma! Lizzy! Vicky! Av!" repeating the words over and over again. The black haired girl, pissed off with how annoying whiny the girl is, harshly attaches the violet patch to her skin.

Everything goes black.

**So I seem to be updating this story about everyday, and I hope people are actually happy about this. Anyway, Girl#2 is finally unfrozen! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter and how you think I could make it better!**

**Actually, in a few chapters I'll be asking for cryogenically frozen people that came to Andros with Girl#2's family. I'm not gonna put out the actual form yet, but just think about it and review if you wanna aply early. I'm only going to take about 10 or so.  
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**Don't forget to review!  
**


	5. Meeting the Reanimated

Ch5: Meeting the Reanimated

She watches as the girl with dirt-but-not-dirt hair **(1)** slumps over, and would have fallen backward if she hadn't caught her. The medipatch, filled with calming sedatives, is a strange contrast on her dark skin. Everyone on the ship has pale skin, blue eyes, and black hair. No one is different. Everyone is the same because they have genetically flushed out all of the other traits.

"Take her to room T-5 in the Ward," her mentor tells her. "Don't leave her side. We can't let anyone see her." He turns to the boy. "Each person was allowed to take a suitcase with them. It should be in a cubby under the 13. Bring it to her room. Maybe then she could last these two months." With a long sigh, the old man leaves the room.

The boy watches as his friend places one arm under the strange girl's legs and the other supports her neck. "Just bring up the bag," is all she says before she leaves. She covers the girl's face and as much of the body as possible with the blanket. When she reaches the right room, it slides open with a single spoken command.

"Mama, I don't wanna go school," the girl in her arms slurs and she buries her face in the raven haired girl's shoulder. With a soft groan, the pale girl places her on the bed, but she won't let go. She's clutching a fistful of the girl's shirt, whimpering when she tries to pull away. Slowly, she gets the girl to unclench her fingers and she settles herself against the headboard. Her body stiffens when she feels the girl curl into her side, body facing her and an arm wrapped around her stomach. "Don't leave me, okay?" her voice is a whisper, but the other girl hears it and sighs. When the girl clings to her and whimpers the statement again, she whispers back, "Never." She feels a small fluttering in her chest when the girl settles back against her with a small smile.

"Hey," a soft voice makes her look up and she smiles at him. "I gotta go, but I wanted to drop this off." He's holding a large bag that seems to be stuffed to bursting. "It's really heavy." With that comment, he leaves the room and the door slides shut behind him. The girl sighs and leans back, closing her eyes.

* * *

She wakes up to a scuffling noise and blinks sleep from her eyes. The girl from before is sitting beside the bag, pawing through it. Her eyes flash as she pulls something out before delving back in. "Come on," her voice is stronger than before. "I knew I packed it!" She pulls out a silver and white screened thing with a triumphant smile.

"What is that?" the bleary eyed girl asks and the stranger shrieks, spinning around so fast she could have gotten whiplash.

"God, don't scare me like that!" the other pouts. "What are you doing here? What's your name?" The girl spits out question after question but the raven haired girl is frozen.

"Nobody's ever asked me my name before," her voice is quiet and sounded lost. The not-dirt haired girl tilts her head to the side.

"You don't have a name?" The other girl looks confused. "Then what does everyone call you."

"Apprentice, Leader-In- Training, Kid," she responds. "I've got many names."

"What's your real name then?"

"What's your name?" the raven haired girl retorts. "All it says it says about you is _Nonessential Cargo_." The girl looks offended up three at the object in her hand. But when she looks up there is a smile on her face and the raven haired girl almost goes into shock as the girl jumps onto the bed next to her.

"I'm Tori," she holds out her hand and waits for the girl to take it. "Victorie Marie Justice-Gillies, but most people call me Tori." Her strange brown eyes turned questioning as the other girl says nothing. The ship-bound teen shoots her a glare. _'Why is she so persistent?'_ the raven girl thought as she just watches as the other girl's smile turns into a frown and her shoulders drop. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She sighs, her not-dirt colored eyes misting over with tears.

"What's wrong?" the raven haired girl reached out, her stomach twisting into unfamiliar knots. Her heart aches and she feels a strange compassion for this lost thing sitting beside her with shaking shoulders and a sob in her throat.

"I get it," Tori whispers as she turns away. "I'm not like you. I'm a stranger imposing on the world and changing everything." Her breathing started to speed up and her fist clenches at her chest, nails clawing at her heart. Suddenly, she shoots up and races out the door, which slid open when it detected motion. The only thing she left is the bag and the sweet smell of something sugary **(2)**.

**So, we finally learn Girl#2's name so I guess I can start calling her Tori. I hope this chapter made a few people smile because it definitely made me smile. Then end might be a little confusing, but basically Tori's expressing the fact that she's an outsider. Girl#1 is starting to feel something for her.**

**(1)- she's trying to find some way to describe the color _brown_ because people on the ship only have black hair. But they have dirt, so Tori's hair is dirt colored but it itself is not dirt.  
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**(2) Girl#1 doesn't know what vanilla is, but it smells sugary. Hopefully at least one person caught onto that.  
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**Please don't forget to review and I'll probably be updating on Sunday!  
**

**P.S. The chapters are getting longer every time I post and Chapter 8 is probably the longest chapter I've written so far...  
**


	6. One There Was The Sun

Ch6: Once There Was The Sun

Tori's so thankful that her brother told her to bring her running outfit: a simple black Nike sports bra and tight, skin hugging running shorts. Her iPod, which looked horribly outdated in the ship, was attached to the strap on her arm, headphones bouncing with every step. Katy Perry's _Fireworks_ pounds through her ears as her sneakers smack the hard surface. She ran through overly green grass field and past strange cow-like animals that she has to weave her way through.

Strangers, with the same black hair and pale skin, watching her with distrusting, hate-filled blue eyes. They all look the same, a mono ethnic population with slightly glazed eyes. Each one of them looks to be in their forties or twenties. There are no children and her heart aches because she misses hearing the carefree laughter, like she had heard on her way home from school at the park.

Coming to a concrete jungle, she realizes it resembles a small city. There are people here too, too making clothes and smelting farm tools. By now she's moved _We R Who We R_ by Ke$ha, who both her mothers has met when they were on a TV show. Tori continues along, her feet taking her where they will. She sings along under her breath, the aunt tune and her bass pumping through her system. It feels good to run again and use her legs in ways they haven't been used for in over 300 years.

Unexpectedly, a shadow blocks her path and she collides with another person, making them both fall to the ground. The person lifts themselves up, not helping her help, but she can't hear what they're shouting over the sound of Taylor Swift's _Mean_. So she sits on the floor where she landed, a huge smile on her face as she sings softly.

Suddenly, her headphones are ripped off of her ears and she jerks up to glare at the other person, only to freeze. It's the girl from the room! _No name_, Tori decides as electric blues makes her stomach turn over. Their eyes lock and she swallows realizing that this girl has almost the exact as her Momma. "Are you crazy?!" the raven haired girl shouts, their faces inches apart.

"No silly, I'm Tori," she smiles, shouldering past the girl. She puts the headphones back on and cranks up the volume, drowning out the other girl's angry shouts with Miranda Lambert's _The House That Built Me_, reminding her of her own house back on Earth. She can faintly hear the other girl's shouts over the quiet rifts between the verses. Her feet pound out the rhythm of the song into the uneven yet perfectly placed dirt.

It's all wrong: the ground is wrong, the animals are all wrong, and even the people are all wrong. She can feel eyes on her and she knows people are staring with their zombie-like eyes, the animals chewing their perfect amount of cud. Shaking her head, she runs faster.

Now, instead of running because she wants to, she's running because she needs to. The fake sun beats down ambient light and heat on her skin and tears are running down her cheeks. It feels so wrong on her back, making her feel like she's a lizard with a giant heat lamp over her head. The girl chokes back a sob and she wipes a tear from her cheeks.

_Once there was the sun_

_Bright and warm, and wonderful_

_Shining like the love within my heart_

_Now there's no more sun_

_Winter has killed everything_

_And although it's dark December_

_Forever_

_I'll remember sun_

"I remember," Tori whispers as she turns her face to the fake sun, her tears falling faster. Maybe she'll never see the sun again. What if the new planet is actually a moon and they'll never see the sun. She can remember the touch of the sun, the real sun, and knows this heat is an allusion and it makes her heart yearn for the days when she would stumble out into the storm after a thunderstorm hidden under her parents' covers shivering. The sun used to always be her favorite thing beyond Earth.

_(Flashback)_

_"Honey, what are you doing under there?" The seven-year-old looked up to see her Mommy kneeling down before her. The young girl had crawled under her bed, eyes closed and body shaking. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was clutching a small tanned stuffed Beanie baby Lion to her chest._

_"Mommy…?" the smaller girl looked terrified and she reached out with and the pale skinned woman grabbed it, pulling her out from under her My Little Pony bedspread. A clap of thunder boomed outside the house and Tori clutched at her Mommy in fear, face buried in her chest._

_"Liz, what's going on?" Victoria came into the room to see her wife holding her daughter in a tight hug. "Oh…" She walked into the room, pulling her hair into a messy bun, and sat on the bed. Liz pulled Tori up and into the space between the two women._

_"I always knew she was scared of thunder, but I didn't think it'd be astraphobia," Liz whispered over Tori's head just as another BOOM rattled the windows. Tori shook between them and her plaintive cries made them sad._

_"Why don't you stay in our room tonight, Little Wolf," Victoria suggested, using her grandmother's name nickname for the small girl. Tori giggled and looked up with a hesitant smile._

_"Okay, Momma," Tori snuggled further into Liz's comforting arms. "Can Ari come too?" She looked down at the small lion stuffed animal before turning hopefully to her brunette mother. Her eyes were glazed with sleep and fear. She jumped up at thunder shook the house._

_"Of course Ari can come too," Victoria chuckled, watching as the child slumped over into Liz's lap, eyes closed. The raven haired woman picked her up, careful not to drop the stuffed feline in her arms. The two women got into their bed and watched as the small girl curled up on her side, the lion cuddled ti her chest._

_As soon as morning came, the small girl would stumble down the stairs and out of the house with raised arms to greet the sun as if it was an old friend returning._

_(End Flashback)_

She is forced out of her flashback when she slams into something hard. Her heart is beating a painful tattoo into her ribcage. She's expecting blazing blue eyes but instead she finds herself face to face with a steel wall. And when she realizes what it means, what it signifies, she beats her fists against it, sobbing even harder out of pain and anger. She's only injuring herself and spots of crimson begin to drip down the wall. She wants to escape.

She had tried to escape the prison of her assigned room, but has realized that she escaped one prison only to find her world contained yet again. There is not sun, there are no stars. Everything smells stale, like recycled air, and her lungs begin to close off as she panics. There is nowhere to go because she will never escape. Where is there to flee when there's no more room to run.

_But… _Tori's mind spoke up, _there is her…_

**So I did promise an update on Sunday and here it is! I hope everybody likes it. I struggled to write the Flashback and working the song (it's mostly relevant but I couldn't switch any words) into the chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought.**_  
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**P.S. The first person to guess where the song comes from, _without_ using Google or any other search engine, gets a preview. But you need to have a FF account or I can't PM you the preview. Sorry Guests.  
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**P.P.S That you so much to the Guest that reviewed Chapter 5. I've been so worried that this story isn't actually that good- my parents are obligated and so is my English teacher- but hearing from a stranger that this is an amazing story just made me so happy. And this story is just getting started! They haven't even landed yet and there are way more adventures they will have before the story ends. Where do you think I'd put Andre, Robbie, and Cat?  
**


	7. A Prison Within a Prison

Ch7: A Prison Within a Prison

She finds Tori in a crumpled heap on the edge of the City. Red speckles the wall and the not-dirt girl's hands look tori. Her whole body is shaking as sobs rettle with every broken breath. "Tori…" her own whisper comes out small and scared, fear shining in her blue eyes. The other girl blinks and looks up at her, tears staining her cheeks.

"How long?" Tori rasps. When the raven haired girl cocks her head to the side, Tori repeats, "How long?"

"How long until what?" she responds with a question. The other girl pulls out her bun, making copper-colored coils frame her face, like the wires that her best friend used on Middle Deck. One strand gets in her eyes as she moves a shaky hand up but the raven haired girl beats her to it. With soft hands, that have probably never known struggle, she brushes the strands from her eyes, letting her fingers slide slowly to trace the other girl's jaw. Something strange is going on with her stomach as it tumbles and turns over.

"How long until we get to Andros?" Tori's voice cracks and she's pleading with her not-dirt eyes to know the answer.

"Two months." A relief-filled sigh rattles out of her and she beams.

"Thanks you, um…"

The raven haired girl knows she's fishing, but after all the trauma, she deserves to have one person she can trust. "Jade," the raven haired girl answers, "just Jade." Tori is full on beaming now and Jade can't help but chuckle until she feels the girl launch herself at her. Jade almost falls over with in surprise, just managing to prop herself up with her hands. Tori's gripping her dark shirt and her collarbone is being bombed with salty tears. "What's wrong?" Jade asks as she shifts as that she can lean against the wall instead of holding herself up.

"I-I d-don't k-know," Tori is laughing and tears are raining down on the raven haired girl's shirt and neck but she could care less; Tori is laughing and she seems happy enough.

Soon enough, the sun begins to set, which makes Tori frown. But, with Jade's help, she stands. The girl turns to see a small dent in the wall where she had punched it over and over again and a small smile crosses her face. Jade tugs on her hand and the two teens make their way to T-5. "A prison within a prison," Tori mutters. "I'm so sorry, Jade."

"What do you mean?" Jade asks as she sits on the bed.

"Jade, you've never seen the sky, or the real sun, never seen a new moon before," Tori spins around, looking at the other girl with so much pain in her copper wire eyes. "You'll never hear the sound of crushing leaves or feel the sunbeams on your back as you jump into the ocean."

"Okay, what are you trying to say here, Tori?" Jade asks, pulse thick with anger.

"I'm trying to say that you've grown up in a genetically engineered world, Jade," Tori explains, "You live in a monoethnic world where everyone is the same. You don't know more than whatever knowledge is on the ship." There are tears in her eyes and she bites her lip. "You're whole world is a cage!

"But in two months…" Tori stares with wonder as she presses her fingers to the window, "in two months you'll learn what it's like to know chaos and discord an differences. You'll know fear of the unknown and maybe even hunger. But…"

"But what?" Jade snaps, eager to hear the rest of Tori's rant so she can retort with her own. But what she hears next from the girl's mouth makes her freeze.

"But at least you'll know about the _real_ sun and about _real_ rain and real grass. You'll know freedom, Jade," Tori takes her pale hands in her own darker ones, "and I want to be right there to see the wonder on your face when you do." That said, Jade's heart explodes.

**Well it doesn't literally explode, but you get the idea. Anyway, thank you _CrimsonWhisper_, who was the first to correctly guess that the song was from the non-Disney movie Thumbalina. Most people would think it's Disney, but it's actually adapted by 20th Century Fox. I know. I checked the box. The song is called _Let Me Be Your Wings ("Sun" Reprise)._**

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Next chapter I'll be putting out a form for 4 Essential's sent from Earth; the others will be older versions of the Nick characters we know and love. Please get your ideas ready because the first four people who submit will be able to live on Andros. Please review as well!  
**


	8. Activate Map

Ch8: The Map

The next morning, Tori wakes up to feel warm breath wash over her face and a body snuggles closer to hers. She smiles and gets off of the bed, not wanting to disturb the peaceful sleep of the other occupant. She fiddles with the strange steam shower, using a dollop of her 2in1 lavender/vanilla wash. With a sigh, she finishes and wraps a scratchy homespun towel around herself before pulling on her running clothes. Her iPod has only half of its original battery and she bites her lip; she will have to ask Jade if they have a plug or some other way to transfer the music and notes onto one of those floppy squares she'd seen before.

She presses play and Avril Lavigne's _What the Hell?_ Blasts through her ears and she imagines she is back on Earth, running around the track with her best friend. The other girl would obviously be dead by now but she hopes with all her heart that she had a good rest of her life. Tori shakes her head and passes by tubes and watches as people shoot up the tubes as if gravity has been shut off.

She reaches the end of her makeshift 'track' and looks up to see a small door. Curiosity getting the best of her—it was one of main reasons she always got into trouble—she opens the door and smiles when she sees a set of stairs. Taking them two at a time, she reaches the second floor and creeps through the door. It's as if she has stepped into the world of nerds and she can imagine to look on her best friend's face if she had seen this.

"What are you doing here?" asks a familiar voice as she tries to sneak around to where she can see the plugs for billions of computers spill from the wall. She spins around to find her brother's doppelgänger shooting her a suspicious look. "You shouldn't be up here."

"What makes it your business?" she shoots back.

"I'm a worker here, and it's my job to keep track of every single person on this ship," he answers. "I'm a Locator."

"So you stalk every person's movements on the ship?" she asks and he nods. "That's so creepy!"

"Well, we wouldn't want to lose anyone," he explains. "Now, how'd you find your way up here? Where's Jade?"

"If you're a Locator, why don't _you _tell me where she is?" She's really starting to get pissed at the guy; not only is her brother's look-alike, but he is acting like she has to be totally dependent on Jade and everyone else to take care of her. He's acting as if she is some sort of animal that can't take care of itself.

He doesn't say anything, but his hand reaches up to press the blue-tooth implant. "Com-link: Jade," he says and waits. Tori watches him with crossed arms before her eyes wander over to the wires again. There is a small outlet across the sea of them and she beams, taking her iPod out of its sleeve and the charger she had grabbed on her way out of the room. With caution, she sneaks over to push the plug into the outlet. It clicks and she lets out a small yelp in triumph. She puts her iPod in and watches as, almost instantly, the battery increases.

"Hey! What are you doing? Get out of there!" the boy is shouting and waving his arms angrily before Tori's view is covered by a shadow.

"What are you doing?" Jade's voice asks in a much softer tone and she looks up with a smile to see the other girl's curious gaze.

"I'm charging my iPod because it's almost out of power," she explains, holding up the small device. Jade cautiously reaches out and touches the home button, making the lock screen appear, and she jumps. "If you slide that to the right…" Tori almost laughs at the raven haired girl's fascination with her iPod.

"It's so primitive," Jade's voice is barely a whisper as she drags the small arrow button to the right. "What's its purpose?"

Tori watches Jade's fascination and he lets the device slip from her hand and into the pale girl's. She bites her lip to keep from laughing at the childish look on the other girl's face. They stay like that for about five minutes, according to the clock at the top of the screen, and the creepy guy has checked on them every so often, until there is an alarm noise coming from the closest monitor.

"Jade, you might wanna come see this," the boy says as he pulls the raven haired girl to her feet. Tori felt a warm hand pulling on hers and she slips her hand into Jade's, following the two teens to the screaming monitor. On the screen is a sphere with watches of green and blue.

"That's Andros," Jade whispers. Tori is shaking beside her. She could remember her Momma pointing out the same thing a long time ago.

(Flashback)

"_This is the River Deli," Liz pointed out a long winding river that snaked through the largest continent. The raven haired woman was part of the FBI program called PCA (Project Colonize Andros). Her job was to name all of the major landmarks and to find out what might be the best place to land._

_Tori was standing behind her mother's chair, staring at the 3D map of the new planet. Her brother, with his shaggy dark brown hair and permanent 5 o'clock shadow, looked over the map, double tapping certain points to zoom in. _

"_It's amazing how we know so much about the landscape just by sending that solar-wind powered satellite to send back pictures and scans," he said with a smile._

"_Well, the FDX (Federation Deep Exploration) is getting better and better technology as time goes on," Liz pointed out. She turned back to the model. "Now, we've even been able to capture images of some of the wildlife but nobody can figure out names for them." She turned back to her daughter, who looked eager to see the screenshots. "Tori, since you're the 'Animal Whisperer', I was thinking you could name the ones we know."_

_Tori looked startled. "Me?" she squeaked. Her mother nodded. "O-okay." Liz smiled and clicked on the first file. It showed a strange horse-like creature—Tori could compare it to a Clydesdale Arabian mix—but it's mane looked more like the fins of a fish and it has wings that looked like butterfly wings. "It looks like a mixture of a Pegasus and a waterhorse. Maybe you could call it a kelpie…"_

_Liz nodded and keyed in the name so that it floated just above the head of the animal. "Life forms have been detected underwater but we have yet to see them." She pulled up another animal. She pulled up another animal. It looked like some kind of reptilian creature. It had thin membranes stretching like wings from its sides and its eyes were slitted like a cat's. "We know it's carnivores and can fly. They live on the cocky cliffs of some of the ridges on the Dragon's Spine Mountain."_

"_Well, since they live in a mountain rage with the name dragon and they kinda look like dragons why not call them Sky Dragons?" Tori asked. Liz laughed and keyed in the name. "Why am I doing this again?"_

"_Because I wanted you to feel like you're an important part of this mission, Tori-Bear," her mother told her, using that embarrassing nickname. "In two years we'll be frozen and many other people on the team see you as an NE, a Non-Essential." Tori shrugged._

"_Anything else?" she asked, looking at her mother with a small smile on her face._

"_Nope, we're all done for now," the raven haired woman smiled and hugged the brunette. "I think your brother's waiting downstairs for you…" Tori smiled, kissed her mother on the cheek, and walked out to hear her shouting, "Good luck with the audition!"_

(End Flashback)

Someone is shaking her shoulders and she blinks back her memory to see Jade looking at her with concerned blue eyes. "You okay, Tori?"

"I-I'm fine," she stutters, looking back to the map. "It's really there…" Jade cocks her head to the side and the boy looks at where the map seems to be reacting to her voice.

"Could you say _Activate Map_ for me?" the boy asks, wanting to test his theory.

"Why should I?" she snaps, "I don't even know you!"

"You didn't introduce yourself before you scared the poor girl?" Jade glares at him. He shakes his head and has the nerve to look ashamed.

"I'm Beck, Middle Deck Navigation Technician, Locator, and Andros geography specialist," he smiles softly, holding out his hand. Now that she knows his name he looks much less intimidating and friendlier. She shakes his hand with a small smile of her own. At least he's not a mindless zombie like the ones downstairs.

"Why would you want me to say _Activate Map_?" Tori asks, not realizing she has said the words. As soon as she's done says _map_, the computer in from of them begins to freak out.

"_Voice recognized,_" the computer speaks with a familiar feminine voice. "_Victorie: Animal Specialist and Field Researcher._"Beck and Jade exchange surprised looks, but Tori is watching with an open mouth.

"It's my mom," she whispers, touching the screen. The picture zooms in under her fingertips and she expertly works the map. She has forgotten to two teens are even there as she traces the ridges of the Dragon's Spine. Her mother had taught her how to bring up the correct coordinates of the landing sight. "Computer, bring up Landmass A," she instructs.

The computer chirps the command back at her and zooms over to the called-for landmass, the largest one on the planet. She watches as the Dragon's Spine surrounds the Valley of Artimes, which, to her mother, was the official landing sight. "So, what do you think?" Tori turns around with a smile, only to see Beck and Jade looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths. "What?"

Beck walks over to her and looks between her and the computer. "We've never been able to access the map before," he speaks with awe in his voice. "I guess you're not an NE after all." His smile is warm and happy and accepting while Jade remains where she.

"So, what are all these places?" Jade asks, coming over to stand beside Tori, a possessive hand on the darker girl's hip. Tori looked over her shoulder at the raven haired girl before looking back to the screen.

"Well, this is the Dragon's Spine," Tori points to the mountain range, "which circles the Valley of Artimes," she points to the indent on the map. "The only way to get out is to either take the calm River of Ma'at or to travel on foot through the Forest of Taurtaurus."

"How do you know all of that?" Beck asked.

"I helped my mom name and design the map," Tori explains, "I was actually the one who named all of the places and most of the animals we knew about." She is almost glowing with happiness and Jade lets out a small smile of her own. She's talking about it as if it's no big deal and Beck shakes his head. He begins to tap away at a nearby screen, entering in the coordinates for the landing spot.

"Well, now that we've got the map unlocked and we can pinpoint to landing coordinates, we could be down there tomorrow!" Beck is smiling from ear to ear.

"Really?" Jade asks, looking almost as eager as the bouncing girl beside her.

"Yeah," Beck nods, "the only reason we aren't down there now is because we didn't know where to land." He tilts his head to the side. "You didn't realize we've been circling Andros for at least a year and a half now."

"We must be more than ready to land by now," Jade looks over at Tori. Reaching up, Jade presses the button on her earpiece. "Com-link: Sikowitz. Ready for landing. Coordinates have been obtained. Requesting for permission for reanimation."

Tori blinks. This is _really_ happening. They are finally going "home"…

**So, the map has been activated and they're landing tomorrow! Well, not real life tomorrow but story tomorrow. It might not be until Chapter 12 or 13 before they actually get to land. I'm so close to writing Jori's first kiss but don't expect romance because it happens at an angsty time.  
**

**The Sky Dragon is based upon the Forest Banshees from Avatar (with the blue people) and the Kelpies are my own creation (not the name though).  
**

**Below is the form to fill out if you want to be one of the five reanimated people. Only the first five non-anon will be accepted. I'm sorry anons but I really need to talk closely with people about their characters during the story!  
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**Please fill out the proper form in full:  
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**Scars/Tattoos/Piercings:  
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**_Please PM me their history Pre-Freezing (aka. back on Earth)_  
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**Please don't forget to tell me what you thought about the chapter either!  
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	9. Reanimation

Ch9: Reanimation

After receiving permission from her mentor, Jade instructs Beck to escort Tori back to her room. The other girl had pouted, wanting to help, and jade reluctantly allows the girl to help Beck watch over the landing procedure. "Promise me you'll tell me when you reanimate my parents," Tori had pleaded with her eyes and the pout Jade just can't say no to. So Jade had nodded and promised she would tell Beck to escort her down to the Lab.

So, along with Sikowitz and Doc, who usually looks after the elders at the end of their life, she has already unfrozen nine people. They are escorted to the Ward by Doc, along with their bags, and each given rooms.

"Number 10," Sikowitz reads from the floppy in his hand. "Elizabeth Gillies: FBI Agent and co-creator of the Andros Map."

They pull out the freezing box and sink it into a vat of water filled with reanimating toxins to help the body slowly come out of its frozen state. The older woman takes a deep breath in and blinks rapidly. The tubes have already been removed from her mouth and Jade pours some water, filled with more toxins that will help her throw up the last of the blue goop. Sikowitz hands her a towel to wrap around her naked boy and Jade leads the shaky-legged woman to the changing room, where she can slip on some clothes from her bag.

"Can I stay?" she asks, "I want to be the first thing my wife sees when she wakes up." She smiles as she slips the shirt over her head.

"Okay," Jade shrugs. She is confused as to how two females could have a child when Sikowitz explained that one needs both a man and woman to create a child. But she shrugs it off and shakes her head. "Come with me." The older woman follows her back to the reanimation room.

Jade watches as the woman, named Elizabeth in her file, leans over the box filled with a woman who looks like Tori. The copper wired haired woman gasps and her eyes flutter open. "Liz…" her voice is rough and Jade leans forward her make her swallow the liquid that will help her body get rid of the toxins used to freeze her. Sikowitz grabs her shoulder and turns her around so they could give the two women some privacy.

Liz touches Jade's shoulder in a small thank you before pulling the other woman with her to help her get dressed. Sikowitz pulled out the next box to be reanimated. Jade helps him put the box into the reanimation bath. The man in the bath looks kind of like an older version of Beck, with hair on his chin, cheeks, and upper lip.

Liz, and the woman named Victoria Justice, came back into the room with clothes for the man. "Thanks, mom," he smiles at her. Jade turns back to take out box number fourteen, an older man named Jared Dean Anderson, an weapon technician and electrician.

Sikowitz and Jade move as a unit for the next two hours; he drags the box into the reanimation bath and she puts the eye drops and detox in so that the person can throw up the last of the stuff out of their system. They finish with number fifty, an old timer named Erik Lang, who specializes in survival. When Jade turns back to the table to clean up, she sees Liz and Victoria with the boy standing behind them with a worried look on his face.

"Do you need something?" Sikowitz asked, a small smile on his face.

"Have you unfrozen everyone there is?" Victoria replies with a question, tugging at her damp bun. The other woman has her hair in a ponytail and is twisting it nervously in her fingers.

Jade checks the floppy and nods. "Lockers one through fifty are all unfrozen," she answers. "No one will be left on the ship."

The raven haired woman bites her bottom lip and her blue eyes glisten with tears. Victoria wraps a comforting arm around her and the man steps forward.

"What about number thirteen?" he asks. "You skipped it and went on to fourteen. Is there a reason for that?"

Jade's eyes widen with a jolt. The three people she is looking at are Tori's family. But before she can open her mouth to say something, Sikowitz cuts in. "We had some complications a few days ago, and thirteen was reanimated a little… early…" Jade hoots him a look, one he chooses to ignore.

The dark haired woman gasps, the tears finally falling from her eyes as she turns and buries her face in the copper-wired haired woman's shoulder. The young man's face collapses into a frown and he clenches his fists, a muscle jumping in his jaw.

"Momma…?" a small voice comes from the doorway and everyone spins around, coming face to face with a wide-eyed Tori.

**Thank you to xLizZzxRoses for the character of Jared Dean Anderson! I hope at least two more people add characters or I'm going to have to fill up the other boxes with Nick stars and their characters. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think.**

**P.S. I finally wrote Jori's first kiss in my story and I hope to have that chapter out by the weekend. Please keep reviewing so I have motivation to get there.  
**


	10. Family Time

Ch10: Family Time

"Bring up boosters to max power," Beck instructs the computer beside the 3D hologram of Andros. "Ready the landing gear." The computer repeats his command and gets to work. Tori listens as he makes an All-Call about landing by daybreak. She is standing back, her knowledge and control of the map aiding Beck when she can.

All the time she is helping him, she's waiting for Jade to tell him her family has been reanimated. But the call never comes and her stomach begins to twist itself into knots as her mind travels to the worst case scenario.

"Tori, can you zoom in on the landing site?" Beck asks. She nods with a sad smile on her face, tapping on the hologram and zooming in on the spot. The dark haired boy shoots her a concerned look but she shakes her head and flashes him a fake smile, which he accepts with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Suddenly, the dog tags on her neck begin to burn against the neckline of her shirt. There is a chip in the dog tags that connects to a small chip sitting near her brother's spine, below the memory chip. It monitors his vital levels and emotions and burn when something is off. It was a new army technique back on Earth when her brother first went off to join the Marines.

Beck, after keys in the coordinates, looks up to see Tori's chair spinning and her strange colored hair rushing out the door. With a groan, he tells the computer to pause and follows her, calling out after her to stop. She doesn't, her years of track helping her to outrun him. She follows her instinct and the burning sensation on her collarbone. They also harbor a tracker with should lead her to him. She knows Beck is chasing after her and she truly has no idea where she's going but she knows that her brother is her final destination.

Tori steps onto the elevator, like the one at the mall when she went with her friend back on Earth and the boy was too lazy to walk up the stairs. Right before it closes, Beck rushes in, out of breath and worried. "Tori, where are you going?" he asks. She bites the inside of her cheek but says nothing as the elevator descends.

Once the elevator door slides open, Tori is running out the door. Beck follows her as she weaves through the now empty lockers. A sob echoes from somewhere far off and Tori rushes over to it. The raven haired boy grumbles and follows her, only to slide to a halt so that he doesn't knock her over.

"Momma…" the girl's voice cracks and she takes a hesitant step forward before stepping back into Beck. Before them stand two women, the first one crying into the second one's shoulder. A dark haired, darker skinned man stands behind them, his arms wrapped around both.

The raven haired woman sniffles and looks up from the copper haired woman's shoulder, her eyes going wide as she spots the girl hesitating by the door.

"Tori!" The woman becomes like a child finding a lost toy. She launches herself at the girl, pulling her close and burying her face in Tori's shoulder. A happy laugh erupts from the other woman and the man is smiling from ear to ear. "Oh, darling, I thought we'd never see you again."

"I was so worried you wouldn't wake up, Momma," Tori sniffles. "But the dog tags started burning and I followed it to you." She spins around and hugs her older brother.

"I knew those would come in handy," the man smiles, teasing the silver tags at the base of her throat. She giggles and slaps his hand away before hugging the copper wired haired woman tightly.

"Tori…" a soft voice comes from behind the reunited family and the girl looks over her Mommy's shoulder to see Jade biting her lip. Sikowitz has slipped out of the room to check on the other reanimated people, taking the young Navigator with him.

"Jade, this is my family," Tori smiles as she pulls away from her Mommy and walks over to the raven haired girl. "My Momma Liz, the original creator of the map," Liz waves with a small smile on her face. "My Mommy Victoria, a biochemist." The mentioned woman beams, walks over to Jade, and gives the unsuspecting girl a tight hug. Tori giggles and shakes her head; her Mommy is such a hugger. "And my brother Avan, a weapon specialist."

"Can't… breathe…" jade struggles and the family laughs before Victoria lets her free. She runs to Tori and hides behind her, resting her chin on the Earth girl's shoulder, soft copper wire curls brushing her face. Tori giggles and Jade can actually feel her body shaking with laughter and her darker skin seems to be glowing with happiness.

"Sorry," Victoria flushes and Liz chuckles, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Tori can feel Jade's hand on her waist and her warm breath on her cheek as she continues to look over her shoulder.

"So, Tor-Bear," Avan smirks as he examines the two girls, "you gonna introduce us to your _friend_?" Tori turns beet red and glowers at her brother, who just smirks at her with a knowing look on his face.

"This is Jade," Tori pulls Jade out from behind her to stand beside her, holding onto her hand. "She's been taking care of me ever since I was reanimated two days ago." Tori looks to the side to see a small flush covering Jade's cheeks and collarbone. Liz lets out a hearty laugh as she holds her wife back from hugging the girl again.

"So, what happens now?" Avan asks, leaning against the wall with a bored expression.

"You should probably go to your…" Jade starts but her voice trails off and she presses her blue-tooth like object. "Link accepted." The raven haired teen tilts her head to the side. "Yes. Okay. She's right here." Her gaze lands on Tori before turning to the wall behind her. "We'll be right up." She smiles and presses the button, her eyes turning from the wall to Tori's family.

"Who was that, Jade," asks, her hand wrapped around the raven haired teen's wrist.

"Beck needs us up in the Navi Center," Jade tells her. "Your family can go to the Auditorium, the room where everyone is for the landing." Liz looks unsure while Victoria and Avan make their way toward the elevator.

"I should come with you," Liz walks toward her daughter and the other girl. "I'm alsp an expert with the map. I _did_ plot the landing coordinates after all." Jade nods and the three of them make their way up to the elevator. Victoria and Liz share a tender kiss, to which Avan and Tori make gagging noises and Jade laughs, before the two groups split.

**So, how'd everyone like the chapter? I love how Jade reacts to Tori's family. We do get some Jori flirting (even though only Avan seems to know it's flirting) which is leading up to the kiss some time within the next chapter or so. **

**I'm thinking about doing a one-time one chapter on Andros' natives reacting to the landing. Instead of seeing the landing from the inside, why not see it from the outside? Admittedly, I've been watching a series called _Ancient Aliens _and that might be where the idea comes from.**

**Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!  
**


	11. Freak the Freak Out

Ch11: Freak the Freak Out

Jade walks in front of the mother-daughter pair. Looking back, she sees Liz's arms holding her daughter close and there's a huge smile in her face. With a sigh, Jade slouches, a sad pout on her face. Tori should be paying attention to her… not her mother!

A warm hand wraps around her wrist and she looks up to find the girl of her thoughts looking at her concerned copper eyes. "You okay?" Tori asks in a whispered tone. Jade bites her lip and nods, moving her arm so that her fingers can intertwine with the young Earth girl's.

"I'm just nervous," she admits. "Once we land, I'll be in charge." Jade watches as Tori smiles at her, looks back at her mother, and back to Jade. The raven haired girl is still rambling, expressing her fears. "I don't think I'm ready for this… I'm not good enough…"

Jade's eyes widen as Tori halts and spins her around, forcing her against the wall with strength the raven haired girl didn't know she had. Liz smirks at the pinned girl before telling the two that she'll find her own way. She _did_ help design the ship after all.

The raven haired girl turns back to see blazing eyes searching her soul. "Tori…" she whispers, "what are you—?"

"No, it's my turn to take," Tori growls. She wants to tell the teen in front of her just what she thinks about her leadership skills. Jade nods and swallows that lump in her throat. Tori can literally feel the waves of self-doubt and uncertainty; she wants to help the other girl believe in herself just as much as Tori believes in her.

"Look," Tori speaks as she steps back, letting go of Jade's pinned wrists, "we're going to land a ship with almost _three hundred people_ on board. It's going to be _your_ job to get everyone there safely. It's _your _job to colonize Andros with the help of the Earth people; your job _isn't_ wallow in fear and constant self-doubt. You _need_ to be strong for _them_. They look up to _you_!"

"Tori, you don't understand," Jade speaks up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "I thought I had more time. I'm not ready! I know everybody's counting on me, but they should put their faith in someone else, someone more reliable. Someone like you… "

Tori's eyes flash again in anger but it slowly melts away as she watches Jade slide down against the wall, burying her head in her hands. With a sigh, the copper haired kneels down in front of the raven haired teen, resting a hand on the girl's knee. Jade looks up, her eyes filled with liquid sadness. Suddenly, she launches herself at Tori, sobbing into her shirt. Tori runs her fingers through silky raven hair and whispers words of comfort.

After around ten minutes— Tori guesses Jade has been holding in the fear of failure all her life— and Jade has calmed down enough so that it's just sniffles and hiccups now. Tori takes Jade's chin in her hand and makes her tilt her head up. They are nose to nose and Jade can feel Tori's warm breath was over her face.

"Please, Jade…" Tori whispers, wrapping her arms tighter around the other girl. "Everyone believes in you. Isn't that enough?"

Jade shakes her head, lapsing back into self-doubt. "I'll just let everybody down. I always have…" Her body shakes with fear. "When I was little, before I was chosen, I wasn't like the rest of the kids. I was bossy and mean and hated everything. They passed me from house to house because nobody wanted me…"

"What about your parents?" Tori asks. She can't imagine her life without her parents or her older brother. Jade shook her head; she wasn't allowed to ask about her parents or where she came from. She'd been moved around so many times that she would have a new bed almost four times a month, once a week.

"I'm not allowed to ask about them," Jade tells Tori and her sad look almost breaks the other girl's heart. "Beck, and maybe even Sikowitz, are the only family I've ever known." Jade buries her face in Tori's collarbone, her breath like dragon's fire on the darker girl's skin. She clutches fists of the Earth girl's shirt, dark patches of moisture dotting the grey cloth.

"You've got to stop being so hard on yourself, Jade," she whispers, brushing strands of raven hair from her eyes. "I bet you my iPod my family has already accepted you." Tori chuckles and Jade can feel her diaphragm vibrate against her cheek. "Plus, you've got someone else looking out for you…"

"Who?" Jade asks, sniffling as she looks up. She can see small gold flecks in Tori's eyes, like those dotting the fake night sky on the Lower Deck. Beck's eyes held some of the flecks as well, but Tori's eyes were shining with them as if her eyes actually held the stars. It made the raven haired girl want to reach out and catch them.

"Me," Tori's voice is like a whisper, her breath warm against Jade's lips. "Over the past three days, I've come to care for you more than I care for myself." The Earth girl's soft smile makes Jade's knees so weak that she thanks the stars they're sitting. The darker girl rubs away stray tears that have long ago stopped falling.

"Tori…" Jade breathes, watching with confused eyes as the other girl looks from her eyes to her mouth and back, golden copper eyes disappearing under fluttering lashes. The raven haired girl's eyes instantly close, electric blue eyes dimmed under pale lids and lashes.

Jade can feel Tori's breath on her mouth, can feel the other girl's lips hovering hesitantly above her own, making her breath turn to little pants. And the world explodes into lights as soft lips brush against her own.

She has only felt the pressure of lips on hers once before, when she and Beck were small enough not to know what they were doing. Since then, all she's gotten are either reassuring kisses on the forehead or brotherly kisses on the cheek. But this is different; there is some other emotion spilling forth from the copper wired haired girl's lips to hers, one she didn't recognize.

Jade whines somewhere deep in the back of her throat as Tori pulls away, her breathing labored. Blinking back the bright light, she lids the other girl beaming at her. She pulled the raven haired girl to her feet. "Come on," Tori giggled, "we gotta land this hunk of metal."

**Finally, the first Jori kiss. We got a little mention of young Bade (nothing romantic though). I've got another plan for Beck anyway and it has nothing to do with any of the girls on the ship *winks*. Please tell me how you felt about this chapter. I wasn't sure how this chapter actually sounded- it sounded better in my head actually- and it would be great to get constructive criticism back.**

**P.S. I have a blind pole starting after I post this chapter about who you want the leader of the sentient race on Andros if there is one. The leader is always a female and her consort is the priest who is always male.  
**


	12. Meet the Team

Ch13: Meet the Team

"What if the oxygen isn't strong enough?" Tori asks as she suspiciously glances at the door that would open to a whole new world. Beside her, Jade is squeezing her hand, her blue eyes full of fear and excitement. Tori realizes with a start that this will be Jade's first time out of the ship and onto real ground.

"We do have oxygen masks, you know," Victoria comes up next to her, an older man beside her. He has short copper colored hair that is combed back, with small streaks of grey. The man has bite mark scars running down one bicep, which makes him look scary and mean. Tori shivers at Jade's side and her hand wraps around the Earth girl's comfortingly.

"So nice to meet you girls, so nice to meet you," he says enthusiastically, shaking their hands to jelly. His face breaks out into a huge grin on his face, making the skin near his eyes crinkle. Tori giggles and she shakes the man's hand just as vigorously. "So you're my expedition group?"

"Dr. Muller, here, worked next door to me," Victoria smiles as the older man scrambles over to the oxygen masks hanging. There is so much glee in his eyes that even the previously sullen Jade smiles at his child-like antics. "He, like myself, is a bio chemist, but he specializes in flora while I specialize in fauna."

"Oh," Tori looks from her mother to the man. "He's the guy that let me water his plants when I came over after school?" Dr. Muller spins around with surprise written on his face.

"You're little Vicky?" he asks. She nods, finding herself in another tight embrace.

"Um, shouldn't we be going?" jade asks from where she stands awkwardly beside the silver door. She is watching yet another reunion among Earth folk. The older man, Dr. Muller, turns to the raven haired girl.

"You must be Jadelyn," Dr. Muller says and jade cringes at the use of her full name. "You're the leader of this fine ship, I presume." She nods hesitantly after Tori takes her hand.

"I am, Dr. Muller," Jade nods again. The older man shakes his head with a wide grin.

"Don't call me Dr. Muller," he chuckles, "it makes me sound so _old_.'

"But you _are_ old, Sebastian," Victoria giggles, patting the older man's shoulder. "300 years older to be exact…" Sebastian curses with a sly grin.

"That is elementary, my dear Victoria," he speaks with a strange accent.

Jade is getting more and more frustrated by the second. "Shouldn't we be going?" she asks, shifting from foot to foot. Beside her, Tori stands with a bow made of silver steel in her hand, a cache of arrows slung over her left shoulder. When Jade shoots her a questionable look, she just smiles and shrugs. Sebastian turns to answer her question.

"We are still waiting on someone," he tells her as he nods toward the door, which slides open to reveal a man with messy golden hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt with the worlds _ACDC _in writing. The man is also wearing a necklace with a jagged tooth, which hangs down just below his breastbone. "And here he is." Sebastian shakes his hand eagerly, making the man's whole arm shake. "What's your name, son?"

"Anderson," the man answers with a gravelly voice, "Jared Anderson." He puts his hands in his pockets and slouches, flipping his hair out of his eyes by moving his head.

"Choose your poison," Sebastian jokes, pointing to the area that Tori is standing in front of. It is a room that Jade herself has never entered but, with a wide smile and a childish glint in his eyes, the man rushes into the room.

"What's in there?" Jade asks, walking over to Tori. The other girl smiles and leads her friend into the room. Jade gasps, her hand flying up to cover her mouth and her eyes become wide. It is a long hallway with many doors on either side. Tori pushes the first door open and Jade jumps as it slams against the door with a metallic clang. The room is small, almost the size of the Ward, and walls are covered in strange objects. There are glass cases around the room, hooks and arms holding out large, long versions of the knives at mealtime.

"This is awesome!" Jared Anderson is at one corner of the room with his big blue eyes and wide grin. "How'd they get all of this?"

Tori walks over to the nearest glass case and chuckles, "The plaque says it's a tachi, a single edged long sword, created and owned by Amakuni and his son Amakura in around 700 B.C.E." Jared comes over to the glass case and gently lifts the sword as if it were made of fragile china. "This must be the Japanese section of the armory."

"You mean there's a room like this for every country?" the blond asks. Jade watches as he strokes the strong silver knife before she slips out of the room to explore on her own.

"No, but every civilization that ever lived has a particular space in their continent's room. There are seven rooms in all." Tori smiles up at the older man and watches as he takes the sheath and belt from the case. He looks one more time at the blade lovingly before sliding it into the sheath. Tori is about to ask him another question when they hear an explosion and a scream from down the hall.

**So the new chapter is here! I want to thank LordDreadSigma and xLizZzxRoses for their amazing characters. Hopefully they were just as you thought they would be. And for the first time we see stuff more related to Earth other than Tori's iPod. So can anyone guess who screamed and what the boom was?**

**Please review!  
**


	13. The Lost Chapter

Ch12: The Gods Arrive

"_Leteni sadaka_!" (Bring forth the sacrifice!) Leader says. Her hair, like a bright glowing fire spirit, is braided like a flying _samaki_'s scales down her back. Small bits of blood red _akiki _stones and clear blue _yakuti_ stones are braided through her the strands with golden _chitan_ strands.

Beside her stands the Priest of the gods holding a _nyati_; its head dragging on the ground behind it and its single gleaming horn kept getting caught in the rocks and brambles. "_Bibi_…" (Mistress) he bows his head in respect. Leader settles the dead animal on the rock set before the goddess of the forest, Zi'ah.

Leader kneels down and bends her head. Priest stands farther back, near the entrance of D'ix Tia'Mat. The dark forest is a hunting ground of the gods, and only Warriors of the _Joka_ and Leader herself. Sometimes they sent in initiates who went through many tests to become a _Joka _Warrior Council Member.

"_O, roho ya juu,_" (O, spirit of the above) Leader speaks as she bows her head, "inaweza wewe utupe mwaka mwingine wa mavuno mazuri na uwindaji. huenda wewe—" (may you grant us another year of good harvest and hunting. may you—)She is interrupted by the sound of her Priest. Turning around, she gets ready to reprimand him when he points wordlessly to the sky. A giant chuma ndege, a metal bird, is spitting fire from its feet and wings. Walking over to her Priest, Leader raises her hands to the sky in praise. He copies her, his eyes wide, and calls out to them.

"Kwa nguvu _za _Ra'Ma," (By the might of Ra'Ma) Leader whispers. "_Miungu sikushuka kutoka mbinguni._" (The gods have come down from the heavens).

They watch as the metal bird continues its decent. Wind makes the fruit of the trees knock their outer shells against each other. The bird roars and the noise is thunderous. Leader clamps her hands over her ears and leans against the nearest tree, her priest beside her.

In the back of her mind, she worries about her tribe back at their _kelutral_. But it is pushed away from her mind as the ground shakes and the world rumbles. It is the most awe inspiring thing that has ever happened on Na'vii since the silver globe began circling the sky. It had crashed at least a thoudsand starrises ago (sunrises).

"_Kinachotokea_?" (What is happening?) Priest asks, his face ashen and the charms on his neck clinking together. Leader's fire spirit dyed hair is also being blown back from her face as the large silver bird decends from the heavens. 'Maybe is has come to collect its egg?' she thought, her eyes closed against the intense light coming from it.

"_Wao wamekuja_." (They have come.)

* * *

**So, only one person voted in the poll so I chose myself. See if you can guess who they are! This chapter is short but I've been watching way too much Ancient Aliens to not write something like this. Please review!**

samaki- fish

akiki- ruby

yakuti- sapphire

nyati- unicorn

bibi- mistress

joka- dragon

_kelutral- Hometree_


	14. Shaken

Ch14: Shaken

She leaves Tori and Jared to explore on her own. In a room marked with the word Africa on a golden plate. Briefly looking into the room, she sees long staffs with razor sharp points. Closing the door, she walks over to the door at the end of the hallway, marked United States of America, and pushes the door open.

"Oh my stars," Jade gasps as she takes in the room. The space is so much larger than the other two rooms combined and it's filled with strange rods. Some gave sharp knife-like rods sticking out of the top. Wit shaking hands, she takes down the nearest rod and her finger finds a moveable latch and her other hand finds something to flick. Flicking the second thing, jade presses the latch backward.

Suddenly, a loud boom explodes in Jade's ears and the rod presses hard against her shoulder, making her fall back. A loud ringing echoes in her ears and she can hear herself screaming. Her shoulder is throbbing and an unwanted tear slips down her cheek. Black spots are dancing in her vision but she can hear someone calling her name. as the ringing stops, Jade blinks and finds herself looking into golden copper eyes.

"…da… ade…. Jade!" Tori's face in contorted with worry. "Jade, can you hear me?" The copper haired girl takes her friend's face in her hands, cradling the raven haired girl's head in one hand while the other softly runs over her scalp. She was hoping to find some sort of bump, thinking something had hit her on the head.

"My shoulder," Jade coughs, reaching up to take Tori's hand and bring it to her right shoulder. The girl before her turns around and mumbles something to someone—Jade presumes it is Jared—before turning back to her.

"Jade, how many fingers am I holding up?" the copper wired haired girl asks, holding up three slender fingers in front of her face.

"Three," Jade answers, pressing her forehead to Tori's shoulder. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

"Jade, what were you thinking," Tori reprimands the pale girl as she helps her stand, "shooting off a gun like that?" Tori picks up the pistol and shakes her head. Although she's not an expert like her brother or Jared, the former had taught her enough to know to not shoot off a gun by oneself. She could identify the gun as a .45acp pistol, which she knows is loud and has a powerful kick.

"I'm sorry," Jade whimpers in a small voice, her body shaking against Tori's. "I didn't know…"

"I know, sweetie, and I'm just glad you're okay," Tori beams and kisses Jade's forehead before helping her to stand. "I'm just glad you knew to point the barrel away from yourself." Tori mumbles this into Jade's hair, every now and then brushing strands of black hair from her electric blue eyes.

Tori leads the shaken Jade back to the entrance, appropriately named Portal, once she has calmed down enough. The Earth teen helps her with small hugs along the way and stories about her best friend, which make Jade laugh and smile.

**I'm so sorry that this is short, but we do get a little Jori in... I hope that makes up for it! Oh, the next chapter is going to be longer because they _finally_ go OUTSIDE... Jade's reaction to touching solid ground was funny, and so was her reaction to the weapon Tori gave her to protect herself with. Can anyone guess what they are?**

**P.S. I still have the poll up so you can vote on who you want Cat's companion to be because we already know it's Cat. And it can't be Beck because he already has a special someone waiting for him to discover her in the jungle. *wink wink*  
**

**Question: What are you guys gonna be for Halloween?  
**

**My Answer: I'm gonna be Jade! I have a outfit that I wore to school one day and everyone called me goth, so I got the idea that I'd just dress up like Jade and go as her. Hopefully it works. I'm probably gonna post the picture to my Tumblr (americanhoney139).  
**


	15. Taking That First Step

Ch15: Taking That First Step

"Jade, sweetie, are you okay?" Victoria questions as the step back into the Portal entrance. The older version of Tori walks over and examines Jade. "We could hear the report of the gun from here."

"We thought you shot yourself," Sebastian pats the raven haired girl on the back. "Even if the shell was empty it could still hurt." She shoots him a shy smile but her hand never leaves Tori's. Victoria nudges the shoulder of her blushing daughter before she takes the offered dart gun from Jared, along with a few throwing stars. Sebastian even seems to be holding one of the awful metal thunder sticks. Catching sight of it, Jade begins to shake in the copper haired girl's arms.

"Why are you all getting sharp or dangerous weapons?" Jade asks, eyeing the strange objects.

Jared steps forward with two oxygen masks, offering a small smile and an answer. "It's for protection." Sebastian and Victoria nod in agreement. "We have suspicions of what some of the species are but we have no idea how they act."

"We also have no idea about the plant life," Sebastian continues the explanation, "so we have to bring weapons and be careful."

Jade's eyebrow rises in a silent question. "Shouldn't I have a weapon too?" The word tastes strange on her tongue. Weapons are not something she thinks she will ever get used to.

"Tori is bringing enough arrows to protect both of you…" Victoria starts before she notices the girl in question returning with a strange silver object that Jade is instantly drawn to.

"Here," Tori hands her the cold metal over and it makes Jade shiver. "Maybe you can throw these." Victoria and Jared look at her with confusion while Sebastian just smiles at the awe shining in Jade's eyes. "They're called scissors."

"They're beautiful," Jade's voice is a whisper as she runs her fingers over the sharp blade. They made a sliding noise as the blades move together. "Thank you." She cups Tori's cheek in her hands and gently kisses the soft skin. "Let's go…" And the door opens on a whole new world.

"Come on, Jade," Tori pulls on the girl's arm. Tori smiles reassuringly at Jade as she intertwines their fingers. "Just take that final step."

"Tori, I can't do this…" Jade tries to pull her hand away but the copper haired girl comes with it. She smiles at pulls the shaking girl into her arms. Jade clings to her shirt as she presses her face into Tori's neck, lips against her skin.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, honey," Tori whispers into her raven hair. "I've got you." The oxygen mask makes it hard to speak but they aren't as bulky as the old school gas masks her mother had told her about. Tori rips off the mask and the other teen does the same when she realizes Tori hasn't stopped breathing. Jade sighs and allows Tori to lead her to the ground. The copper haired girl beams when Jade looks at her own feet with wide eyes, moving each foot to feel the dirt under her boots. Tori wraps her arms around the teen leader and presses a loving kiss to her pale pink lips, softly moving them over hers.

"Come on!" Jared shouts. "You'll have time to make out later!" He is speaking over the communication link built into the oxygen mask. What none of the adults has realized is that neither of the teens' masks is closed… until Victoria gasps.

"Tori! Jade!" she screams as she runs over, "You'll run out of air!" Tori rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Tori!" her mother scolds.

"Mom, the oxygen density is the same as on Earth," the copper haired girl explains. Sebastian takes off his own mask, much to Jared and Victoria's horror, before taking a deep breath.

"The air's fine, Vic," Sebastian says before going off into technical terms that neither Tori nor Jade can understand.

"Mom, Jade and I are gonna go look over there," the girl points off into the distance. Victoria doesn't seem to notice because she is in a heated argument with Sebastian and Jared seems to be examining just how sharp his new sword is.

Tori drags Jade over to the tree line beyond the ship. The forest hums with life and colors burst before their eyes. It's a beautiful sight.

"Tori, did you hear that?" the raven haired girl asks, pulling on Tori's white shirt. She looks back just in time to see the trees close behind them. "Look."

"We'll be okay," Tori reassures her, jinxing their good fortune.

Suddenly there is a rustling noise from behind the two teens. Jade finds herself pushed behind Tori, who has begun to rapidly fire arrows at the bush. Knocking the bow, she pulls out the string and lets the arrow fly. The strange bush shakes and does not move again.

Suddenly, Jade screams. Tori spins around to find a shadowy form hovering above the raven haired girl with a large club raised over its head. Tori quickly fires another arrow on the shadow, which lets out an animalistic howl of pain when it flies past its shoulder, leaving a little nick in the skin.

Tori cries out as she feels something slice her palm and she looks down to see a small knife below her bleeding hand. Shaking her head, she crawls over to Jade, testing her pulse and pulling her close. The shadow moves and the copper haired girl can see flashes of orange and red, reminding her of fire.

Something heavy strikes Tori on the head and she collapses on top of the pale beauty, her head falling into the crook of Jade's neck , hair spilling onto her stomach and chest. Stars burst and go supernova before her eyes and the last thing she does before losing consciousness is to press her lips weakly to Jade's neck and slurs, "Love 'oo J-ade…"

**So, what do you think? Please tell me your favorite part in a review. At least the air is breathable and they don't have to wear the masks. **

**Personal Story (I need to share this with someone...)**

**So, my dad was really annoying tonight and thought he could drag me to Junior Night at my school. I got in the car and he drove me there, yelling at me the whole time about why I shouldn't complain. (Dad, I'm a teenager and I won wittiest complainer while on my trip this summer, so I'm always gonna find something to complain about.) So when we got out I told him not to sit with me, because I was mad at him and, not only did he say he would sit with me, but he was going to try to embarras me as well. So I turned around and took the 15 minute walk home in the dark so I wouldn't have to stay. He didn't come after me and my mom stopped in her car to yell my name before moving on to go to her own meeting.**

**Long rant over. Thank you for listening and please review.**


	16. Trapped

Ch16: Trapped

The first thing Jade realizes when she wakes up is that something heavy is resting against her. Blinking through her confusion, she looks down to see copper colored hair spread across her own pale shoulder. Warm breath makes her shiver as it hits her neck.

"Jade," a voice whimpers and a hand wraps weakly wraps around her wrist. "Where are we?" Liquid copper pools look up at her with fear and terror settling at the bottom. "My head hurts." Tori puts a hand on the back of her head. Some kind of crust has formed and, when she pulls her hand away, it's covered in dried blood. She takes a shaky breath and leans back against Jade.

"Tori, come on," Jade plants a kiss on Tori's hand and the other girl blinks up at her with a wide grin. "Don't fall asleep on me or you might not wake up."

"I'd always wake up for you, Jadey," she says, giving Jade a sloppy kiss, to which the raven haired girl cringes internally.

"Where do you think we are?" Jade asks, hoping Tori will soon come to her senses. But she's not so sure when the other girl crawls across her body and begins poking at what Jade can only assume are the walls. "What are you doing?" Weak sunlight is blocked off when Tori's shadow covers.

"Jade, you're _not_ gonna believe this," Tori says in awe. Her hand brushes the top of Jade's head and the other girl's butt is uncomfortably right next to her face. There isn't much room where they are but Tori pulls her up so they can kneel together. Their heads are close together but the raven haired girl gasps at what she sees.

The ground seems to be far away—clouds are lazily drifting past them and the cliffs of the Dragon Spine mountains Tori has told her about are poking through the clouds. Shapers are flying in and out of the clouds and the girl beside her is almost vibrating with excitement.

"Will you calm down?" Jade snaps.

Tori stops and pouts before she ignores Jade to stick her hand out the window to feel the clouds. Catching sight of the shadowy shapes, Tori giggles. "Jade, those are Sky Dragons!"

Suddenly, their cage shakes and the two girls fall to the ground. Jade lands with a groan and Tori falls on top of her, their legs tangled together, and the copper haired girl's face lands just above the raven haired girl's chest, straddling her. Jade's flushes red as Tori's breath washes over her skin and Tori beams.

A gruff voice speaks outside that neither girl can understand, but it looks slightly familiar to the Earth girl. A face looks inside their tiny cell and the copper haired girl immediately recognizes her as the shadow that had attacked them before.

"_Je, ni wewe? Eleza mwenyewe_!" (What are you? Explain yourself!) the thing speaks but it is not understood by either girl. "_Unafanya nini katika Msitu wa Amani na Utulivu kwa vijiti wako mkali_?" (What are you doing in the Forest of Peace and Harmony with your sharp sticks?) Neither Jade nor Tori understood what the creature is saying so they stay where they are, silent and still.

"Tori, can you understand what it's saying?" Jade asks, watching as Tori looks in her pockets for a device she knows Victoria put in there. Tori shakes her head and looks worried when she can't find the translator her mother designed to help with any language that had ever existed on Earth.

"Jade, can you get it to say something?" Tori boots up the machine and begins scanning the speech around her. It already identifies English because both she and Jade are speaking it. Jade nods and sticks her hand out the window and gets yelled at by the strange creature. Some words pop up on the screen but others come up as question marks. "Okay, that's enough." She pulls a screaming Jade in through the window.

The raven haired girl calms down and reaches out to intertwine their fingers. Tori smiles softly, knowing she is just looking for comfort and security. The other girl's raven colored hair fountains over Tori's tan shoulder. "Are we ever going to get out of here?" Jade asks.

Tori knows her friend is falling asleep so the copper haired girl leans back to settle against the dirt wall of their prison and she settles Jade on her lap. Using her shoulder as a pillow, the raven haired girl sighs and settles down to sleep. Tori runs a hand through silky black hair and she can feels Jade's dragon breath against her skin. She doesn't answer the question and she can feel Jade realizing more and more into her arms, whimpering softly when Tori wraps her arm around the other girl's waist.

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow _

_Lay down your head_

_And close your sleepy eyes_

_And when you awake_

_The sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet_

_And tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you_

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves, _

_A moonbeam ray, _

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning_

_They'll wash away_

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet_

_And tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you_" the copper haired girl sings softly before she curls up around Jade and falls asleep with her head resting on soft raven hair.

**So sorry that I haven't updated before this! I hope everyone liked the little Jori in this. And Cat makes her first appearance with Jade and Tori. The song is Rue's Song, sung by Sting but written by Susan Collins.**

**P.S. Just thought I should share some of my birthday magic with you! Have a nice night and don't forget to review!  
**


	17. Flying Home

Ch 17: Flying Home

"_Viumbe kuangalia hivyo ajabu_," (The creatures are so strange) the Priest says as they pull the captives up the side of Naga'Ta back to their floating garden home. The prison the captives are in is a long box made of compact dirt. It is long enough to fit the taller one's height and the shorter one's arms spread out. "_Ambapo unafikiri kuja kutoka_?" (Where do you think they come from).

"Wao ni kutoka Bird Maungano," (They are from the Metal Bird) Leader points down to where they can still see the large _meli_. "_Wao ni Eywa_. " (They are StarPeople). She runs a hand through her fire sprite hair and her cocoa eyes close.

"_Je, unafikiri wao ni miungu ya unabii_," (Do you think they are the gods of the prophecy) Priest asks, his own eyes glowing with hope. She nods and they strap the braided rope to each side of the prison and clip it to the saddles of their _ikran_, who sniff the air and call out to one another.

"_Wanaweza kujisikia hivyo pia_," (They can feel it too) Leader smiles and pats the rough scales of her leathery friend. Mounting the two beasts, Leader and Priest took off, the chamber swaying between them. The beasts soar over the clouds, making droplets of dew sparkle in Leader's hair. Priest watches as she lets go of the saddle with one hand and shouts happily, looking over at him with so much love shining in her cocoa eyes that his heart flutters. He still can't come to terms with the fact that, out of all the eligible men in their _Kelutral_, she had chosen him. Not the strongest or the fastest, but the man that made her laugh and cry within a span of five minutes.

"_Kuja juu_!" (Come on) she calls out to him, shaking Priest out of his thoughts. He smiles and presses his heel lightly into Dasha, his _ikra_, and she leaps forward until she is neck and neck with Leader's own _ikran_, Kiko.

Suddenly, there is a scream from inside the box; Kiko and Dasha squirm when the noise hits their sensitive ears. "_Tu mbele kidogo_!" (Just a little farther) Leader has to shout above the wind. The screams stop after a few more _pili_ and Priest wonders what happened to the two captives.

Finally, _Kelutral _ is in sight and Leader calls out a greeting to the other members of the _bustani_. Kiko and Dasha land in the cleared runway for the _ikran_. "_Lete mateka kwa chumba kuikopesha_," (Bring the captives to the holding chamber). When Priest opens his mouth to ask her why, she answers before he can, "_Mpaka wao kuthibitisha thamani yao kama miungu, wao ni kuchukuliwa hatari kwa watu wetu_," (Until they prove their worth as gods, they are to be considered dangerous to our people). Her eyes harden as she watches two warriors carry the box to the _kufanya kiini_.

**I finally finished the next chapter! I'm sorry it took so long but I'm on the East Coast, I didn't have school for a few days and that's where I do most of my work. Unlike most people, I lost power for about 30sec before it came back on. My heart reaches out to anyone that has suffered and I hope you're all okay! Please review and tell me what you thought! This was short but I just wanted you guys to know what was going on outside the cage Jade and Tori are in!**

_**I**__kran _**(Avatar word for the flying dragons)**

**_Meli _ship**

**_Kelutral _hometree (Navi for their home)**

**_Pili_ seconds**

**_Bustani _garden**

**_Kufanya kiini _holding cells**


	18. Come Away With Me

Ch18: Come Away With Me

Jade almost jumps out of her skin when she hears Tori's scream and she turns around in her half-sleep to bury her face in the copper haired girl's shoulder. Tori is looking out the window and Jade realizes that their whole space is rocking back and forth.

"Jade, we're flying!" the copper haired girl's voice is a mixture of fear and wonder.

"Yeah, but we're also flying toward a place where we're probably gonna die or get serious hurt." Jade's monotone voice earns her a slap on the arm and a glare from her friend.

"Will you at least _try_ to be optimistic?" the Earth girl asks in exasperation. She's trying to make the best of a bad situation and the raven haired Leader-In-Training isn't helping. "They might be peaceful…"

Jade scoffs. "Oh yeah, they're so peaceful," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "that's why they put us in this small dirt prison and are probably flying back to their headquarters. You were right." With a mock sigh, the raven haired girl crossed her arms and rests her head against her companions shoulder.

"Jade," Tori's voice is a soft whisper in the raven haired girl's ear. Jade hums against the darker girl's throat. "I'm scared…" The copper haired girl buries her face in raven locks, small tears dripping from her finely sculpted cheeks.

Jade sighs and pulls away from her prison mate. Smokey blue meets pools of liquid copper and Tori falls into her arms, crying into her shoulder. They were so entangled that they were both leaning against each other. "Shh… shh…" Jade runs her fingers through copper rivers splashing over her chest and Tori's tanned shoulder. "It'll be okay, Tor."

"What if I never see my mom again?" Tori asks, looking up with sad eyes. Jade feels her heart crack, seeing this strong Earthly figure in her new life breaking.

"Tori, listen to me," Jade shakes Tori's shoulders, trying to shake her fear out of her. "We're are going to get out of here. You'll see your parents again and we'll lead those people on the ship to better lives." Looking up and out the window, Jade notices that the box prison is landing; there was a loud cracking sound and the two girls blink as harsh light hits their eyes.

"_Njoo na mimi_," (Come with me) a creature—which Tori assumes is male—speaks with a deep voice. He has dark skin, much darker than Tori's, and stands with his arms crossed over a broad chest. His golden amber eyes seem to watch their every move as the raven haired girl pulls the copper haired girl to her feet. She can feel the other girl shaking in her arms and, however scared Jade herself feels, she has to be strong for Tori.

"Where are you taking us?" Jade snarls, her teeth barred like a wild animal. The dark skinned male doesn't even flinch.

"_Njoo na mimi_," (Come with me) he repeats his statement. Tori yelps as something sharp pokes her side. Turning around, she blinks as her finds herself face to face with a beautiful hazel eyes girl. Her long copper-gold curls fall into ringlet around her face, some covering her eyes. Out of all of the alien creatures Tori has seen, this one looks the most human. Although her spearhead is pressed lightly to Tori's back, her smile is soft and reassuring.

"_Usijali, bibi_," (Do not worry, Mistress) the woman's voice is comforting even though the copper hared girl can't understand her. "_Hakika hao hawamdhuru wa kike wa Atan na Dav_." (They will not harm the goddesses of Light and Darkness). When the dark man grunts, she motions for them to walk forward.

Tori and Jade are led to what looks like a Roman or Greek temple. The temple was light yellow crystals with golden pieces inside them on one side and dark crystals filled with specks of purple quartz inside. The building was separated perfectly down the middle that they could have been cut in half and glued together. The dark skinned man stops where the road of torches leads up to the entrance. They burn with a strange blue fire and each has two darker pools of rainbow water and a single coal in the center. The fire looks like a small creature instead of a fire, and they seem to be leaning over the edge of their bowls to get a good look at the two of them. Hissing and popping noises raced up and down the path like whispers.

"_Wanajua wewe wamewasili, mwanamke Atan_," (They know you have arrived, Lady Light) the beautiful lady warrior speaks again, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "_Roho moto kujua _munga _yao imewadia_." (The fire spirits know their goddess has arrived) The fires popped and hissed in their containers, straining against their shiny metal bowls.

_Mistress… Free us! Free us!_ Something hisses strange words in the copper haired girl's ear, begging her to free something. _We have been trapped here by our enemies!_ The voices start to get louder, pressing in on Tori's skull. _Free us! Free us!_

"Jade, do you hear that?" Tori asks, looking at her companion. The female humanoid behind them holds her staff to her side but her eyes are telling them not to run away.

"I don't hear anything," Jade bites her lip at the Earth girl and gives her a questioning look. "Tori, are you okay?"

"_Kuja, Atan, Dav,_" (Come, Light, Darkness) the sentient being leads them to the middle of a shadowy room. Two females, dressed in white, step out of the shadows. One has light golden hair and the sash around her waist is a yellow belt that fades into orange. The other one has black hair and a black belt that fades into light purple. "Watumishi wako kujitoa nitakuongozeni vyumba yako. Nitatuma wewe juu ya zenith." (Your devoted servants will lead you to your rooms. I will send for you upon the setting sun)

The two women come forth silently and the yellow-orange female takes Tori's hand with a soft smile while the other female takes Jade's arm a little more harshly, but the female's blue eyes are soft and motherly. "What are you doing?" Jade screams, trying to rip her arm from the alien's somewhat strong grip. "Tori!" Jade's voice is raw and broken when she realizes that Tori s already halfway down the hallway. She knows that they will probably die sooner if either of them struggles.

* * *

**I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated this story in almost a week! I've been at Tech rehearsals for my play and they end at 9:00pm, which is when I have to get off of the computer anyway. So I'm posting it today. I hope this chapter leaves you with questions and a few answers as to why Tori and Jade were captured, Next chapter we get back to the ship to see how they deal with their new Leader and the NE Cargo are missing. Oh, and the really pretty girl is going to be someone's romantic love interest *hint hint*. **

_moto roho_ fire spirit

_Atan _Light

_Dav_ Darkness

_Zenith _setting sun

_Zeni_ rising sun


	19. Track 'er Down, Boys

Ch19: Track 'er Down, Boys

Back on _Sundancer_, Beck is helping Sikowitz and some of the other gen. passengers and ECs unload the ship. Sikowitz has yet to step down from his position as leader, but he is still needed while Jade surveys the land.

As the dark haired boy is consulting his Intelli-Tab on what is still left, there's a loud clattering and whispers running down the line. Liz comes to stand next to him, her eyes filled with worry. The young man jumps as Victoria pushes through the crowd and launches herself into Liz's arms, tears streaming down her face, her wispy copper hair in complete disarray.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Liz asks, running her hand through rivers of light copper. "You gotta tell me what happened." Victoria just clings to her shirt, tears staining the navy blue shirt.

"Tori and Jade are missing," Sebastian explains, his face red from running after her. "They went off into the woods to explore on their own. We heard a scream and when we got there, this was the only thing left." The older man hands Liz a broken arrow shaft and the raven haired woman clutches it to her chest like it is the most important thing in the universe. "There looked to be some signs of struggle, like the arrow shaft… or a few drops of blood."

Liz gasps and she can feel Victoria's arms tightening around her neck, more tears and sobs escaping her pink lips. The taller woman clings to the sobbing mess of a wife as their tears mix together.

"Wait, so Jade's gone?" Beck speaks, looking up from his Intelli-Tab to the arrow shaft. "But what about settling down? We're almost 100% unloaded and ready to start building."

"I think they've been taken by the sentient beings of the planet," Jared says, fiddling with his necklace as she looks sympathetically at the couple crying in the middle of the hallway. "I don't think they are in any danger."

"But Jade's our leader!" Beck argues looking scared for his best friend. "She has to be here to oversee the building of the colony."

"My boy, there's nothing we can do," Sikowitz comes up from behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder. He sighs. "Jade has the standard A1 Tracker implanted in her arm. We can track her from there." As he is saying this, Avan comes in holding a strange tool belt.

"I unscrewed the knuts and bolts you wanted". What's—" He blinks when Victoria sobs into Liz's shoulder. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Y-your sister…" Liz swallows back her own tears, knowing that it will only affect her wife more. Taking a shaky breath, she lets it out as a sigh. "She and Jade are gone."

Avan freezes. His sister is _gone_? His doppelgänger is thinking the exact same thing but about Jade, his best friend. "Is there any way we can see where they are?"

"The Tracker!"

"The dog tags!"

Sikowitz and Liz speak at the same time. Liz turns to Avan while Sikowitz turns to the Navigator.

"Mom, I can't track Tori with the chip in my neck. It can only track me, not the other way around," Avan tells his now frowning mothers.

"Well, maybe Tori's with Jade," Sikowitz tries to placate the copper haired woman and her companion. "Each person on this ship has a Tracker implanted in their arm at birth. The muscles tissue grows around it so that it technically becomes part of that arm." Beck pulls up a list that he has access to on the Intelli-Tab and keys in Jade's name and identification number—he's had to use it so many times to find her for hide a seek that he's memorized it. When he comes to a block, he hands the Tab to Sikowitz. Liz notices and is confused.

"What's wrong?" she asks, handing the fragile woman in her arms over to her son.

"Nothing's wrong," Sikowitz reassures her, tapping at the screen for a few more seconds before handing it back to Beck. "I just needed to type in an access code that will give him the ability to search more in-depth for Jade." Liz nods and the young man plugs the Intelli-Tab into the computer with the map.

"Look," Avan points with the hand not holding his distraught mother, "on the Dragon's Spine, in between the two tallest peaks!" Beck zooms in and there's a holographic image of his best friend, huddled inside something they can't see.

"W-where's T-Tori?" Victoria asks, walking over to take Liz's hand.

"We won't be able to see her on the map because she doesn't have the Tracker. But Jade seems to be curled around something…"

**I'm so sorry I haven't been able to update this in a while but last week was really busy for me. I'm not gonna go into detail because it might be boring. SO, anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Next chapter we find out what will happen to Tori and Jade on the _zenith_ (sunset in the alien language)**

**P.S. The idea of the hologram of Jade and her location came to me from Spy Kids 2.  
**


	20. The Zenith

Ch20: The Zenith

Tori crosses her arms and rests them on the window ledge. She winces as the humanoid female brushes what looks like a comb carved out of bone. She had been bathed and dressed in what reminds her of silk. It's soft against her naked skin and it's strange that they won't allow her to wear her own clothes, insisting with gestures and ceaseless babble that _Dav_ can't wear those clothes in which she arrived in. But they had let her keep them in a locked box beside the stone bed.

"_Unaweza kuangalia nzuri, bibi Dav,_" (You look beautiful, Mistress _Dav_) says the magenta haired teal eyed female. She is wearing a light green and purple silk robe. Tori wonders what the symbolism of her own pure white gown means. "_Ni karibu wakati,_" (It is almost time) .

Tori doesn't understand what she is saying, so she just rests her head on her hands and allows the alien to brush her hair. The rhythm is soothing and a voluntary sigh escapes Tori's lips.

As the sun sets, all is well.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Jade screams. She fights with tooth and claw but unfortunately whatever she tries to do doesn't work. They wrap her nude body in some sort of soft cloth that is a dark lilac color, almost black.

"_Tafadhali kuwa shwari, Atan_," (Please be calm, Atan) the golden haired alien tries to placate the thrashing raven haired woman. She ties the white sash around her curvy waist, making a bow at the back of her spine. "_Chakula cha jioni itakuwa aliwahi karibuni_."

Jade looks around the room, bathed in soft light coming from every corner of the room and one above, and notices how bare it is. There is a bed pushed up against one wall and a dresser pressed against the other. It's the room for a minimalist and for a moment Jade is reminded of the room Sikowitz had her place Tori in.

_Tori…_ Her head spins when she realizes that she has _no idea_ where the copper haired girl is. Her eyes start to water when she thinks about the Earth beauty that she'd been oblivious to only days ago.

"_Atan, ni wewe sawa_?" (Atan, are you okay) the blond, clothed in a light orange color, rests a hand on her shoulder and the touch reminds her so much of Tori that she bursts into tears.

"_Sikujua miungu inaweza kilio_," (I didn't know gods could cry) the blond remarks. She pulls Jade to her feet and walks her back down the hall they had come in from. The raven haired girl is silently sobbing, wondering what has become of _her_ Earth girl.

The golden haired alien leads her charge through the maze of the temple, which seems to be made up of two different kinds of strange crystal. Jade sees two shadows moving from the opposite side of the hallway, one dressed in pure white and the other dressed in a green and purple long dress.

"_Tama, _ni kila kitu sawa?" (Tama, is everything okay) the blond asks her magenta haired companion. Standing next to her, jade notices, is a beautiful copper haired girl with some honey colored streaks in her hair. Her pure white dress is wrapped snugly around her small curves.

The other girl is looking at her with just as much confusion. This raven haired girl with the bright smoky grey eyes seems to be looking into her soul. Suddenly, there is a spark of reorganization in the stormy eyes that brings some semblance of sun into the ocean of the dark haired female's eyes.

"Tori…" Jade breathes, flinging herself at the copper haired girl.

"Ja- Mmphh" Tori tries to speak but jade's lips cover her own roughly. Tori can feel wet cheeks pressed against hers and the pale girl is shaking as she wraps her arms around the other girl. Jade whimpers into her mouth, trying to press as close to her as possible.

Once oxygen becomes a necessity, Tori pulls away. Jade follows her lips, looking close to tears. "Jade…" Tori pants as the girl peppers her face and neck with kisses. The raven haired girl doesn't want to lose contact with _her_ Earth girl. "Jade, stop," Tori whispers, pulling away to bury her face in a pale neck.

"Tori," Jade sighs, "please don't _ever_ scare me like that again!" Tori sighs and kisses Jade's pulse point, evoking a whimper from the girl in her arms, before pulling away. They flush with color when they realize that the two alien females are watching them with mixed emotions in their wide eyes.

"_Njoo, kike, kwa chakula cha jioni_," (Come, goddesses, to dinner) says the blond, leading them. They follow the two sentient beings to a large room. It is a half white crystal and half black amethyst room, lined with candles that have the Sky Dragons roaring at the bottom of the candle holders. In the middle of the room is a low set, almost Indian-style table that fills about one-fourth of the room. Every alternating seat is set either with shimmering white settings or dark amethyst. To sit on are soft looking pillows that seem to be the same material as that the four occupants are dressed in.

Tori and jade are led to either side of the table, pulled apart when they will not let go of the other. Tori is led to the light side of the table while Jade is led to the dark side.

"Karibu, mungu Atan na mungu Dav" (Welcome, Goddess Atan and Goddess Dav) says the melodious voice of the woman who led them to the temple. "_Sisi ni hivyo furaha una neema sisi na uwepo wako_." (We are so glad you have grace us with your presence)

Tori and Jade do not move or show that they have heard. Instead, the bolder of the two tries to stand up and make her way over to the other side of the table. "Jade, what are you—?" Tori speaks but ends up grunting when the raven haired beauty sits down in her lap, hugging her neck.

"_Mwanamke Atan, tafadhali kurudi mahali sahihi yako_," (Lady Atan, please return to your proper place) the beautiful alien being cries, pouting and looking upset. She continues to complain, even though neither human can understand her. When nothing happens, the leader ccrosses her arms and calls forth the meal with a wave of her hand. The two other aliens, sitting near their charges, stand up to recive two opposite colored trays from each side of the room. There are four trays in all.

"_Kwa nini tunafanya hivi, Dan'ii_?" (Why are we doing this) asks the magenta haired one. "_Ni inaweza kuwaua_!" (It could kill them)

"_Si kama wao kuchagua moja sahihi_" (Not if they choose the right one) the golden haired alien chimes in, catching on to what Dan'ii is trying to test. "Kama wao kuchukua sadaka vibaya, au moja kuwa ni roho zao, tutajua kama si wao" (If they pick the wrong offering, or the one that is their spirit, we will know if it is not them)

While the alien beauties are speaking in tongues that the humans don't understand, Jade and Tori are examining the plates. "Look at the colors of the plates and look at the color of your dress," Jade starts, "they're both near-white while the ones set in front of mare extremely dark violet."

"This must be a test!" Tori realizes, horror settling in her stomach.

"What kind of test?" Jade asks into her hair.

"One wrong choice… and you're dead," Tori whispers.

**I'm so so so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. I've been so busy lately, even though I've still been writing. So please forgive me and tell me what you thought about this chapter. Please review and forgive me!**


	21. To The Rescue

Ch21: To The Rescue

"So these will take us to them?" Liz asks as she pulls her raven hair back with a clip. Beside her, Avan is pulling on a pair of Kevlar pants. Beck is on his other side with Victoria helping him strap his vest on.

Sikowitz nods. "These hovercrafts will be able to fly up to the peak and have weapons just in case." He presses a button on the side panel and the two hovercrafts let out a loud hissing noise as the glass tops opens, reminding Victoria of the old sci-fi movies she used to make her wife and daughter watch.

"How fast can they travel?" Avan asks. He used to fly as fast as Mach V when he was training in the military.

"About 915mph, but you shouldn't be able to feel it because of the sleek design," Beck answers. He's worked with the hovercrafts before, even though he's never flown one.

"Great!" Liz claps her hands, eager to get her daughter back and bash some heads.

"Mom, I'm driving," Liz chuckles as he grabs the keys out of his mother's white knuckled grip. "We don't need to start a war before we even know what these people are like."

"They _took_ my daughter," Liz snarls, her fist banging into the metal of the craft.

"Honey, you're forgetting that they took my daughter too," Victoria comes up and wraps an arm around her wife, pressing a kiss to her pulse point. "Don't worry, love, we'll find her."

Liz nods and leans back, trying to relax in the other woman's hold. Victoria presses her lips to the raven haired woman's temple before pulling away.

"We should go if we want to reach their village by nightfall," Avan guilds his mother to their hovercraft. Sikowitz hands each of them a helmet and headpiece.

"I've set up independent Wi-Coms so that you can communicate with mean and each other," the old man says with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you," Victoria rests her hand on the old man's arm in a gesture of deep gratitude, her copper eyes shining with unshed tears for her lost kin.

"Jade was—_is_ like a daughter to me," he places his hand over hers, his crystal blue eyes shining with love. "I can't let anything happen to her. Promise me you'll bring both of them back, safe and sound." He blinks and lets go of Victoria's hand to run his own through his now snow white hair. "I'm just worried about their safety."

"We all are," Liz's voice crackles over the Wi-Com in both adults' ears. "I _promise_ we won't come back without our girls." Her voice sounds strong but her wife can tell she's getting emotional over the temporary capture of their daughter.

"We should go," says Beck as he taps away at the three-dimensional map, a black dot representing Jade. "Keep on the Wi-Com, Sikowitz," Beck calls out from the cockpit of the leve-craft he's sharing with Victoria. Avan and Liz are already buckled up and the headlights turn on with a flick of Liz's finger.

"Good luck," Sikowitz takes both of Victoria's soft hands in between his gnarled, work worn hands and squeezes them slightly. "May the all the stars in the heavens protect your journey," his voice is ragged and he looks as if he might cry. Victoria smiles a sad smile and wraps her arms around the man in a comforting hug, even going so far as to kiss his scratchy cheek.

"We'll find them, Sikowitz," she reassures him, "we won't return without them."

**The next chapter we'll get back to Jade and Tori, but after that the two seperate plots kind of come together at one point. And we have an adorable Beck/OC scene coming up! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	22. The Test

Ch22: The Test

"What do we do now?" the raven haired girl asks, fiddling with the neckline of her companion's outfit. Jade is still sitting on Tori's lap, her crystal blue eyes filled with fear and worry.

"I wish I could tell you," Tori says as she wraps her arms around the pale girl's curvy waist, "but we don't understand their language so we'll have to guess through gestures."

"Wait, what about that thing your mom gave you?" Jade questions her. "Didn't you say some words could be translated?

"Yeah, but they won't let me get it," Tori responds, her fists clenching nervously onto the fabric of Jade's silky black dress. "Hopefully we do this right." Her voice is shaky as she buries her face in her companion's hair, feeling the other girl press her lips to her neck, breath like fire on her skin.

"What if we die, Tori?" Jade whimpers, her lips pressed to tan skin. "Or what if one of us does?"

"If you lose this test, I will protect you from death," Tori assures the girl, running a hand through raven hair. "If I die, I'll at least know you'll be safe."

The brown haired alien, sitting at the head of the table, begins to speak although the two humans cannot understand her. "_Lazima kuchukua kati ya uchaguzi mbili kabla yenu. Chukua muda wote unahitaji. Mara baada ya kula, utakuwa kufanyika kwa mtihani. Mmoja tu ni uchaguzi sahihi, wakati mwingine tu kuleta maumivu ..._" (You must pick between the two choices before you. Take all of the time you need. Once you eat it, you will be done with the test. Only one is the correct choice, while the other will only bring you pain...) As she watches the two across from her, she realizes for the first time that there is a chance that they may not understand her. She then tries to sign to them what she wants them to do.

"She wants us to pick one, Jade," Tori says and Jade looks up from her shoulder to look at the two meals on the crystal plates. "Just remember that I will always be with you."

Jade swallows the lump in her throat and looks at each dark plate carefully, trying to determine which is which. Both she and Tori have the same type of food, but as the brunette looks closer, she notices subtle differences to them.

"Jade, look," Tori points out what looks like small beads on one black stone platter. "They've unknowingly hidden a clue in the dish." Tori's smiles is wide as she proceeds to examine the other platters, leaving a confused Jade sitting on her lap. The copper haired girl is talking a mile a minute before she suddenly stops.

"Black and white…" she mumbles, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Like dark and light…" Her face suddenly breaks out into a huge smile. "Jade, I've got it! Pick the plate that has white beads and feathers on it and I'll pick the one that has claws and black beads on it." Tori looks so excited that Jade cannot find a way to argue with her. So both girls pull the plates toward them that Tori has instructed.

"_Mwisho ya uchaguzi_?" (Final choice) the copper haired humanoid asks, her face neutral. The two girls don't understand her, so she gestures again to the plates and then to them.

"I think she's asking if we're sure of her choice," Jade mumbles to Tori, squeezing her hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure about this, the copper haired girl responds, running a hand reassuringly up and down Jade's back. "We'll beat this." With that said, she nods to the alien beauty.

"_M__tihani ni kamili. Angalia matokeo_…" (The test is complete. The results are…)

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! Hopefully, updating two chapters in one day will make up for that. I won't be able to update for a while after these two chapters come out because I've run into writer's block. I need suggestions of what people would like to see! Please review!**


	23. Finding A Connection

Ch23: Finding A Connection

"We should probably land soon," Avan says over the Wi-Com as he scans the horizon. "It's getting pretty dark and we don't know what's out here at night."

"We're almost at the village," Beck's voice crackles as he checks the 3D map. The dot that is Jade has not moved from the same position for quite a few hours and everyone is getting worried about it. "I just hope that they're okay."

"They'll be fine," Liz growls, crossing her arms and pouting. "We need the cover of night to sneak in and out." She's already going through plans in her head and figuring out what technology she will need.

"Liz, we don't want to startle them," Victoria knows what her wife is thinking. "We're going to land a few miles away, leave our weapons in the car—"

"But what if they attack us?" Liz screeches, making both boys wince respectively. "We'll be defenseless against even their most primitive weapons!"

"Liz, listen to me," Victoria tries to calm her wife down. "I was going to say that we'll bring weapons we can hide in our clothing. We'll come to their village looking defenseless but we will come in peace."

"So basically, we surrender ourselves, Avan thinks out loud. "It sounds like a good plan, but what if they attack?"

Liz grumbles, hating how Sikowitz put Victoria instead of her to the leader of this rescue mission, but she understands why. While she is quicker to anger and violence when it comes to protecting her kin—Mama Bear Mode Victoria loves to call it- Victoria is more compassionate about others and not wanting to hurt anyone unless necessary. "If they attack, then we will fight. But until the first blow is struck, all we can do is try to negotiate."

"Fine, but if it goes bad, we'll do it my way," Liz snaps, gnashing her teeth to quell her anger. "Sneak in, find them, sneak out."

"But _only_ if they attack us and we must retreat," Victoria sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. She doesn't know if they'll even be able to make it to the village, but they have to try.

"Okay, we should land here," Beck points to something on the map, showing a clearing in the trees. The black Jade dot was close. "If we get any closer they'll know we're here."

"Avan, did you hear that?" Victoria speaks over through the Wi-Com and smiles when she gets an affirmative from her son.

After they land and gather supplies, Victoria leads the small group toward the edge of what looks like the village. There are lights shining from torches, but they look like fire burning inside candlelight pewter bowls.

"Look," Beck points to where a muscular dark skinned male is standing guard, a long pike in his hand. "He looks tough. We should sneak around and…" His words die in his throat as he notices another shadow rushes from shadow to shadow to reach the alien male.

She stands beside him, golden-amber hair flying in the breeze as she whispers to him. Her golden eyes scan the horizon until her eyes lock with his. She whispers something to her dark skinned companion before taking something out of her dress that glistens in the firelight and stalks toward the small group.

"_Wewe ni nani_?" (Who are you) she hisses as she puts her knife against his throat. She hasn't seen the others yet so hopefully if she attacks they will defend him. "_Unafanya nini hapa_?" (What are you doing here)

"I'm sorry," he puts his hands up in the air; "I don't understand what you're saying." He drops the small dagger and shows her what he hopes is a friendly smile, trying to prove to her that he is not a threat. Her beautiful amber eyes flash in the firelight and she reaches out to touch his skin.

"They're so cute!" Victoria whispers quietly from where she and her family, minus Tori, are watching what would later become one of the most historic moments in Nav'ii history.

"Je ni wewe?" (What are you) says the copper haired girl as she trails her fingers down his face, her eyes wide as she can feel the muscle of his jaw jump under her finger. "Je wewe ni mungu?" (Are you a god)

He gently takes her hands in his own and removes it from his fac, letting both fall by their sides but still intertwined. Suddenly, and without warning, the sentient being launches herself at him and presses her lips to his messily.

Beck stumbles back, ripping himself from her, despite the sparks shooting from her mouth to his. His blue eyes are wide and confused while she just smiles at him, showing blindingly white teeth. "What they hell was that for?"

"_What the hell that for…_" the copper haired being says. Beck almost falls back onto his butt when he realizes that he can understand what she's saying.

"You can _understand_ me?" his voice shakes. She tilts her head to the side in confusion. "What's your name?" She watches as he wipes his mouth on his sleeve and she copies him, making the same motion.

"_Name…_" she whispers, reaching out to point to his arm.

While she and Beck are engaged in confusion and the meeting of two worlds, Victoria pulls on Liz's shirt sleeve. "Come on; let's go find Tori and Jade while they're distracted." Liz nods and she tells Avan to stay and watch Beck while she and her wife go save their daughter and her 'friend'. He nods and his hold tightens on his knife.

"No," Beck takes one of her hands in his. With his other hand, he points to himself, putting a hand against his chest. "Beck."

She giggles and pulls her hands out of his to point them at her chest, stepping closer to him. "_No,_" she giggles again, "_Beck._" He shakes his head and groans, a smile splitting across his face when she copies his actions. In the bushes behind them, Avan snickers silently.

* * *

"If I were an alien, where would I hide my sacrifices?" Liz mumbles to herself, earning her a slap on the arm from her wife. "What?" she snaps playfully, "that's what they do in all of the weird sci-fi movies."

"Liz," Victoria growls softly, slightly angered with the raven haired woman. She stops short, making Liz stumble into her. The copper haired woman spins around, pools of copper glowing in the firelight. "We are _not_ in the movies anymore. This is real life!" She raises her voice in an attempt to get her point across. Liz blinks and her eyes focus on a building just beyond the ring of torches.

"Look," she points to something in the distance. Coming out of the temple, behind a humanoid who looks like a priestess— Liz loved mythology in college and would make Victoria and herself Halloween costumes— are two young woman with their heads held high.

"Is that…?" Victoria trails off as the three shadows step into the light. The humanoid wearing a pure white dress has a crown of what looks like dæmonglass, a special type of pure black glass imbedded with mica and other magnetic specks. It was used back on Earth in many spy vehicles and satellites.

"I think…" Liz points to the humanoid dressed in all black standing next to the being dressed in white.

Twisted into her raven hair is a tiara carved perfectly from a shimmering white material. "Liz, her crown looks like it's made from angelfrost!" Angelfrost was another technology used to counter dæmonglass, full of non-magnetic quartzes and other stones that repel magnetic forces. Both dæmonglass and angelfrost had to be carefully manufactured, but it seemed to be abundant on Andros.

"Why are they all dressed up?" Victoria asks, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "Shouldn't they be in the prison or something?"

"Maybe something happened and the aliens see them as gods…" Liz trails off when she sees other humanoids putting their hands over where anatomy would say the heart is and bowing at the waist. The raven haired woman turns to see pools of chocolate glaze over with tears.

"I've never seen her look more beautiful," Victoria sniffles, a small smile on her face. "I mean, she never went to Prom, or had her wedding…" the copper haired woman covers her mouth with both of her hands as a small sob escapes her lips.

"But, if she had stayed on Earth, you would have been worrying way more," Liz chuckles. "Now we know that she at least has Jade with her."

"Come on," Victoria pulls on Liz's arm, "let's go get our girls!"

**In this chapter we get to see a little more of what the others are doing. Beck has finally found something to do besides being the techie navigator! I told you guys I would bring in a character for him. This actually takes place after the test in the previous chapter.**

**Angelfrost and dæmonglass are made up! But it sounds cool!  
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**Please review and tell me what you think or any ideas you have because I have writer's block!  
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